Google invests millions in Mark Zuckerberg’s efforts to create a ‘virtual cell’

Google DeepMind, Meta, and AI drug discovery startup Isomorphic Labs are jointly investing $300 million into an initiative to create a "virtual cell" that researchers can use to combat disease, according to The Verge, which cited an earlier Reuters report.

The project is led by Biohub, a nonprofit biomedical research organization founded by Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan. The report states the effort is part of a $1.8 billion "Virtual Biology" initiative to build AI datasets that could allow researchers to "ask, predict, and answer biological questions digitally."

Biohub was founded in 2016, and, according to the report, aims to prevent and cure diseases through the creation of a "high-accuracy predictive model." The report describes the virtual cell project as intended to give researchers a tool for combating disease, without detailing specific methods or timelines.

The three organizations — Google DeepMind, Meta, and Isomorphic Labs — are listed as joint investors in the $300 million initiative, whose lead organization is the Zuckerberg- and Chan-founded Biohub. The report did not include further details on how the funding will be allocated.