Julia M KazaksGeneral Counsel/ Secretary
Research institute · Science policy · Palo Alto, California · Est. 2021
Arc Institute is an independent nonprofit biomedical research organization based in Palo Alto, California, focused on “full-stack” R&D at the intersection of biology, computation, and AI. Arc’s mission is to accelerate discovery, uncover the root causes of complex diseases, and close the gap between scientific breakthroughs and real-world impact.
Institutionally, Arc is designed around long-term, no-strings-attached funding for investigators—aiming to reduce the grant-allocation incentives and timeline pressures that can shape scientific agendas. Its organization pairs investigator-led “core” laboratories with technology development capabilities through multiple Technology Centers, explicitly to support both foundational mechanism work and translation-oriented tool-building. Scientifically, Arc runs two Institute Initiatives: the Virtual Cell Initiative (VCI), intended to train machine-learning models that predict how diverse cell types and states respond to drugs and genetic perturbations; and the Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative (ADI), intended to build a data-driven map of Alzheimer’s disease using large-scale multi-cell-type modeling plus systematic perturbations and causal computational analysis. Arc’s technical differentiation is the coupling of large-scale perturbation data generation with modeling and benchmarking resources. Examples of its stated early achievements and released artifacts include Evo 2 (a biological foundation model), Bridge Recombinases (RNA-guided programmable genome engineering beyond CRISPR), STATE (Arc’s first virtual cell model), and the Arc Virtual Cell Atlas (a computation-ready single-cell resource that underpins multiple virtual cell modeling efforts).
We knew we had something interesting with T3p, a single small RNA found in breast cancer but absent from normal tissue. After being described in 2018, this molecule took our team on a six-year journey to systematically map orphan non-coding RNAs (oncRNAs) across all major cancer
Yusuf Roohani, Arc’s Associate Director of Machine Learning, on designing the architecture behind a virtual cellYusuf Roohani spent his PhD making machine learning models to predict how cells respond to genetic perturbations. Long before the term “virtual cell” was in vogue, Roohani was building tools to simulate and steer cellular behavior in industry and then in academia.
Arc Institute’s first virtual cell model: <span style="font-variant: small-caps">S<span style="font-weight: bolder">tate</span></span>Today, Arc is releasing its first generation virtual cell model, called State. The model is designed to predict how various stem cells, cancer cells, and immune cells respond to drugs, cytokines, or genetic perturbations.
Arc Institute launches its inaugural “virtual cell” competition using AI to solve one of biology’s biggest challengesThe competition, hosted by Arc Institute at virtualcellchallenge.org and sponsored by NVIDIA, 10x Genomics, and Ultima Genomics, is focused on accelerating progress in AI modeling of biology. Entrants will create models that will predict effects of single gene perturbations in ce
Virtual Cell Challenge 2025 Wrap-Up: Winners and ReflectionsThank you to every participant who made the inaugural Virtual Cell Challenge a success. The response far exceeded our expectations: over 5,000 people registered across 114 countries, over 1,200 teams submitted results, and over 300 teams made final submissions. We saw remarkable
Researchers reveal key differences in STING inhibition between humans and miceResearchers have long focused on the STING (Stimulator of Interferon Genes) pathway as a way to harness the immune system’s natural defenses against cancer. This pathway, which plays a key role in helping the body defend against potential pathogens, can be leveraged to trigger an
Proof-of-concept innate immune checkpoint inhibitor shows promise against solid tumors in rodentsBiochemist Lingyin Li has been pioneering a new direction for immunotherapy, searching for drugs that would turn these “cold” environments “hot”. Instead of stimulating T cells in the adaptive immune system, she focuses on harnessing cGAMP, one of the fast-acting inflammatory mol
Paul Datlinger, Arc’s Associate Director of Genome Engineering, on inventing the technologies needed to train a virtual cellOne of Arc’s Institute Initiatives is to build a highly predictive, single-cell foundation model that can help drug discovery efforts or assist biologists in their research. Released in June 2025, our first virtual model of a human cell, called STATE, can predict resulting shifts
Nianzhen Li, Arc’s Senior Director of Multi-omics Technology Development, on developing the experimental platform for a virtual cellIn a sense, Li’s team is building the experimental backbone for Arc’s most ambitious ideas. They may not be making new chips or devices from scratch, but they are stitching together tools—wet lab, automation, and software—into workflows that actually work at scale.
Meet Arc Science Fellow Maya Arce, who is unlocking the genetic underpinnings of autoimmune diseasesArce discusses her personal interest in tackling autoimmune diseases, her genomics-focused approach to immunology, and how Arc's emphasis on AI and complex diseases offered a supportive environment for her research goals.
Meet John Pluvinage, Arc’s 9th Core Investigator and first physician-scientistJohn Pluvinage (X: @jvpluv), Arc’s 9th Core Investigator and first physician-scientist, has arrived and is now setting up his lab. Pluvinage investigates the overlap between autoimmunity and neurodegeneration, aiming to decipher mechanisms and design targeted treatments for undia
Meet Arc Core Investigator Isha Jain, who is decoding how oxygen and nutrients shape our physiologyOn June 9, Arc welcomed Isha Jain as our eighth Core Investigator. Jain has spent more than a decade studying how the human body senses, and responds to, external molecules—especially oxygen and vitamins.
Arc Institute publishes a discussion/review centered on anaerobic terminal electron acceptor strategies and describes related hypoxia-related findings from Arc-linked work.
Why Jingtian Zhou is building high-resolution maps of the 3D genomeArc features Jingtian Zhou’s work on developing single-cell and spatial genome organization toolkits, including assays and computational approaches for scaling 3D genome data and bridging wet- and dry-lab modeling.
The 2026 Virtual Cell Challenge: predicting perturbation responses in cell contexts a model has never seenArc announces the 2026 Virtual Cell Challenge as a zero-shot task across cellular contexts, with details on the benchmark setup, evaluation approach, timeline, and prize/sponsors.
John Pluvinage on a new vitamin B12 transport disorderArc discusses John Pluvinage’s work on autoimmune B12 central deficiency (ABCD), including mechanistic and therapeutic directions described in an Arc research narrative.
Overcoming the insertion bias in natural bridge recombinase systems for efficient excisionArc explains a bridge-recombinase structural/mechanistic study and the role of engineered bridge RNAs (HSGs) in modulating insertion vs. excision efficiency.
Arc Institute Announced as New Grantee in The Audacious Project's 2025 CohortArc announces grant support from The Audacious Project, describing goals for scaling virtual-cell datasets and model training/validation.