BioHub, a $600 research initiative funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, MD, is set to begin work on its first project.
The institute's first project will involve creating a directory of human cells, called a cell atlas. BioHub co-president Stephen Quake said mapping the millions of cells in the human body will better help researchers and drug manufacturers understand the molecular signatures of each cell and how they would respond to certain types of treatment. Cataloguing how the immune system changes and adapts to fight tumors could be the next step in cancer treatments, according to the article.
The BioHub involves creating universal technology tools researchers and engineers can continue to build upon. The initiative will also hand out grants to researchers at the UCSFMissionBay, Stanford and UC Berkeley to further their research into cell structure and composition.