Thermo Fisher Scientific We have concluded a Technology Alliance Agreement with the Chang Zuckerberg Advanced Biological Imaging Laboratory (CZ Imaging Laboratory), and announced that we will develop technologies that will allow researchers to better visualize human cells that can advance scientific research and discovery.
In a statement, Thermo Fisher Scientific explained that Cryo-Electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) is a necessary tool in the creation of life-saving therapies, including disease research and vaccine development.
“As this approach continues to evolve, so will the demand for enhanced contrast and high resolution to see cell structures in traditional environments,” the statement said.
Additionally, the Thermo Fisher Scientific and CZ Imaging Institute teams are University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Continuous laser phase plates for electron microscopes have been invented and continued to be developed.
Thermo Fisher will work with the CZ Imaging Institute to develop laser phase plate technology for Cryo-EM and work with Berkeley Lab to improve imaging of cell biology at high resolution.
The project is considered a building block for the work of the Chanzackerberg initiative and aims to solve epic scientific challenges, including developing state-of-the-art imaging systems to observe human cells in extraordinary detail.
“Expanding our understanding of basic cell biology can unlock new layers of scientific research and therapeutic development, and researchers around the world can uncover new insights from the lab,” said Trisha Rice, vice president and general manager of life sciences for Thermo Fisher Scientific’s electron microscopy business.
“As I work to help clients achieve their research goals, I am excited to work with the CZ Imaging Institute to create a new approach to analytical science that will help them discover the future.”
Matthias Howley, acting executive director and chief operating officer at the CZ Imaging Institute, explained that the Imaging Institute focuses on innovation in imaging technology, allowing scientists to see and measure what is currently invisible within our cells and gain deeper insight into human health and biological mechanisms of disease.
“We want to provide solutions to our community and technology alliances with industry partners such as Thermo Fisher, as well as the experimental aspects of imaging science. The Imaging Institute can accelerate and expand technology development and share progress more rapidly with scientists around the world,” Haury said in a statement.
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) has also announced that CZ Biohub San Francisco and the CZ Advanced Biological Imaging Institute will join forces to form a new Biohub.
The collaboration between the two laboratories is about to combine teams at the new science campus in Redwood City, California, next to CZI headquarters.
Scott Fraser, Vice President of CZI’s Science Grant Programs, was appointed president of the Chanzackerberg Imaging Institute on April 1st.
According to CZI, the vision for the new biohub is to “develop new imaging systems to illuminate the dynamic architecture of live living systems, making the invisible what is visible, measurable and understandable.”
“These labs are leveraging complementary strength at key moments of biological discovery, as the right combination of technical and scientific expertise creates new tools that will illuminate the hidden dynamics of complex systems such as the brain and immune system, co-founder of Czi and when Czi’s Co-Ceo said in a statement.
The San Francisco Biohub, launched in 2016, was indicted for a decade’s commitment to addressing some of the most important questions in science.
“Since its founding, Chan Zuckerberg’s initiative has made a bold, long-term investment in scientific research and technology to promote understanding of human biology,” the president of CZ Biohub San Francisco said in a statement.
“It’s a natural fit for San Francisco Biohub and Imaging Institute to take part in this epic challenge, and it’s an example of how CZI continues to make a big bet on science.”
Bigger trends
Thermo Fisher Scientific launched the Corevitas Systemic Erythematosus (SLE) registry in February.
The multicenter prospective registry utilizes the Corevitas Rheumatology Physician Network. We see an important unmet need for the immune system to attack healthy tissues and collect powerful, objective, real-world data on SLE, which can cause damage to the skin, joints, blood and internal organs of patients, such as the kidneys, heart, brain, and lungs.
The registry leverages clinician and patient insights to address key questions regarding the safety and efficacy of current and future treatments for SLE.
That same month, CZI launched the Billion Cell Project, an initiative to generate a dataset of 1 billion cells to drive rapid advances in AI model development in biology.
CZI has launched an initiative in collaboration with Partner 10X Genomics, Ultima Genomics and a group of researchers.
Once completed, single-cell datasets bring important new data and resolutions to multiple domains of biology that require a wide range of resources, such as mapping genetic perturbations across diverse cell types and tissues.
2020, The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has pledged $13.6 million to research collaborations, including UC San Francisco, Stanford University and Chan Zuckerberg Biohub.
The funds were used to understand the region’s coronavirus scope and then provide data to local policymakers and healthcare workers, looking at whether antibodies from Covid-19 protect against reinfection.
