Chan Zuckerberg Initiative updates and news from across our initiatives.
A Note from Priscilla Chan
Why I Am Feeling Hesitantly Hopeful
As many of us reunite with loved ones and resume routines this summer, I’m feeling a lot of conflicting emotions. I’m excited about how much there is to celebrate, yet daunted by the challenges that remain as we continue to emerge from the pandemic.
It’s heartening that nearly half of all Americans, more than 158 million people, are fully vaccinated. Still, COVID cases are rising in several states where vaccinations lag—keeping too many people at grave risk from the disease. It’s clear that we must vaccinate as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. That’s why we recently announced a $15 million COVID-19 response portfolio to advance vaccine equity and support community engagement efforts.
I’m also proud to share that we launched Aspen, a free, open-source software tool to help departments of public health in California track and slow the spread of COVID-19, including new variants, and prepare for future crises. Aspen does not require coding or any local infrastructure build—it aggregates data and provides easy access to analytics and interpretation for scientists and non-scientists alike.
Here’s a look at other highlights from the past few months at CZI:
COVID-19: Response and recovery
CZI is proud to support organizations, including Unidos en Salud, who are focusing on a community-led approach to response and recovery, as well as vaccine inquisitiveness. We also recently announced an expanded COVID-19 response portfolio to help even more partners do exactly that.
This builds on the vital, ongoing work our partners have been doing since the earliest days of the pandemic. One of those efforts, the herculean task of building a CLIA-certified COVID-19 testing lab in just eight days led by CZ Biohub co-president Joe DeRisi, was recently profiled in Michael Lewis’ newest book,The Premonition: A Pandemic Story.
I was also thrilled to speak with leading coronavirus scientist Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett in an Instagram Live recently. Dr. Corbett was instrumental in the development of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and is a rising star in the study of other novel viruses.
Building technology to advance science
From my earliest days in medical school, I’ve been struck by the potential of biomedical science and technology to revolutionize medicine. And today, CZI is helping accelerate that revolution by developing transformative technologies that will help make it possible to cure, prevent, or manage all diseases. With cellxgene, we're building a tool that will help scientists visualize single-cell data to more precisely understand diseases. And with Aspen and IDseq, we’re developing free, state-of-the-art software that lets health workers, both locally and globally, identify and track disease-causing pathogens with the goal of stopping them before they lead to outbreaks.
Tools transforming student well-being
If I learned one thing as a teacher, it’s that trusting, supportive relationships are crucial for student learning and well-being. So, alongside educators, researchers, students, and our non-profit partner, Gradient Learning, we launched a free digital tool called Along. It’s designed to make it easier for educators to help each student feel seen and understood—no matter where they are.
CZI has partnered with 11 organizations working to advance racial equity, diversity, and inclusion as part of our five-year, $500 million commitment to this cause—and there will be more partnerships to come.
We’re embedding our commitment to equity across our science work, too. To share a couple examples: we’ve partnered with STAT and MIT on the Sharon Begley-STAT Science Reporting Fellowship, which supports early-career journalists from underrepresented racial groups. And we spoke with Dr. Hannah Valantine about diversity in STEM programs and the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in science.
At a recent Neurodegeneration Challenge Network Annual Investigator Meeting Keynote presentation, neurologists Dr. Francisco Lopera of the University of Antioquia, Colombia and Dr. Yakeel Quiroz of Massachusetts General Hospital presented their collaborative work on Alzheimer’s disease. For over 30 years, Drs. Lopera, Quiroz and their collaborators have been following members of an extended family tree who have early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. This long-term Colombia-based collaborative study has made critical contributions to what we know about the genetics of early-onset Alzheimer’s and has led to clinical trials for treating this disease. Their research not only bridges scientists from North and South America, it also has the potential for global impact in that it would better serve Spanish-speaking communities around the world. It’s a great example of community-focused collaboration and the critical need to embed a racial equity lens at all stages of science. Learn more about the study here.
I hope these stories of progress can be a source of inspiration. Here’s to a safe and healthy summer season and long overdue reunions with loved ones and friends.
