Organization
editCZ Biohub is a non-profit medical research organization[1] that was created to support the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative's efforts to cure, prevent, or manage all disease by the end of the century.[2] Its aim is to facilitate collaboration between medical, scientific, and engineering researchers from three Bay Area institutions: Stanford University, the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), and UC San Francisco (UCSF).[3] It also supports research by its own scientists and engineers in its own facilities. It is organized as both a research institute and a network for researchers to find overlap between their own work and scientists and engineers working in different areas or disciplines, to help accelerate research.[4]
The organization's president is Joseph DeRisi, a professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at UCSF. DeRisi is known for inventing genomic tools to rapidly identify unknown pathogens, work for which he was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2004.[5][6] Sandra Schmid joined the organization as its chief scientific officer in 2020.[7][8] As of 2020, the Biohub had 100 employees including operations staff, scientists, data scientists and engineers.[4] Its headquarters are located In San Francisco, adjacent to UCSF's Mission Bay campus.[9]
Research programs
editThe Biohub's research is organized around two main projects: a quantitative approach to cell science,[10] including mapping different types of cells; and an infectious disease initiative,[11] which includes research on infection and immunity as well as developing techniques for early detection of emerging pathogens around the world.[6] Additionally, the organization's technology platform teams develop new technology and tools for biomedical research, and for clinical and public health applications.[9][12]
The Biohub allocates one third of its funding towards its extramural programs.[4] The Investigator Program provides five years of funding to scientists from a variety of disciplines who are faculty members at Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and UCSF.[13] As a requirement of the program, investigators meet up twice a month to share findings. The meetings are intended to encourage collaboration and accelerate development of scientific and medical advancements through finding commonalities investigators might not otherwise have known about.[4] The investigator grants are unrestricted, and focused on supporting research that may not be sufficiently developed to qualify for funding from the pharmaceutical industry or the National Institutes of Health.[9]
To increase access to scientific research and promote open science, CZ Biohub requires its Investigators and staff scientists to post submitted manuscripts and related data on preprint servers such as bioRxiv at the same time they are submitted to journals for publication.[14][4]
Structure and funding
editCZ Biohub is structured as a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization, but it has retained close control of the outcomes of its efforts, including patent rights.[15] The Biohub operates independently from CZI but partners with it on some initiatives and programs.[1] In 2016, CZI formed the Biohub with a $600 million endowment over 10 years.[4] In December 2021, CZI announced it was committing up to $1 billion in further funding to support the Biohub's operations through 2031.[16][17]
References
edit- ^ a b Alexander, Donovan (2019-01-06). "Mark Zuckerbergís $5 Billion Project to End Disease Within a Generation". Interesting Engineering. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
- ^ Farr, Christina (2018-09-15). "Mark Zuckerberg is selling up to $13 billion of Facebook stock to fund an ambitious project to end disease: Here's an early look inside". CNBC. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
- ^ Leuty, Ron (2021-12-07). "Chan Zuckerberg Initiative outlines multibillion-dollar plans to extend Chan Zuckerberg Initiative's Bay Area Biohub, build out imaging institute - San Francisco Business Times". San Francisco Business Times. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
- ^ a b c d e f DeFrancesco, Laura (2020-10-01). "The making of the Biohub". Nature Biotechnology. 38 (10): 1116ñ1120. doi:10.1038/s41587-020-0685-y. ISSN 1546-1696. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
- ^ "UCSF virus hunter DeRisi wins Heinz award". sfgate.com. September 10, 2008. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
- ^ a b Kahn, Jennifer (2021-06-10). "The Disease Detective". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
- ^ "Dr. Sandra Schmid". bizjournals.com. May 4, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
- ^ Yong, Ed (October 16, 2018). "A Simpler Way to Get to the Bottom of Mysterious Illnesses in Poor Countries". theatlantic.com. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
- ^ a b c Siu, Antoinette (2017-02-23). "Staked with $600 million, the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub is writing new rules for life science research". San Francisco Business Times. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
- ^ "CZ Biohub | Quantitative Cell Science". CZ Biohub. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
- ^ Park, Andrea (2021-12-09). "Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to pour $3.4B over 10 years into AI, imaging and other tech to unravel biomedical challenges". Fierce Biotech. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
- ^ "CZ Biohub | Technology Platforms". CZ Biohub. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
- ^ "Chan Zuckerberg Biohub awards $86 million in investigator grants". Philanthropy News Digest (PND). 2022-01-13. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
- ^ Kaiser, Jocelyn (February 8, 2017). "Chan Zuckerberg Biohub funds first crop of 47 investigators". sciencemag.com. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
- ^ Levine, Martin (November 4, 2016). "CZI's Biohub: Who Will Benefit If It Hits a Health Homerun?". Nonprofit Quarterly.
- ^ "Chan Zuckerberg Initiative announces biomedical science initiative". Philanthropy News Digest (PND). 2021-12-08. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
- ^ Hadero, Haleluya (2021-12-07). "Zuckerberg, Chan to invest up to $3.4B for science advances". AP News. Retrieved 2022-05-16.