https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/genbio.2022.29017.jgr
A bold new nonprofit research institute in Palo Alto, California, infuses uniquely funded core investigators, biotech-inspired technology centers, and academic partnerships to solve complex diseases.
Taking root on the Stanford campus in Palo Alto, CA, Arc's research biome, supported by $650 million in initial funding, will consist of four main elements: (1) long-term funded core investigators (not tied to a specific project), (2) multidisciplinary experts in one physical laboratory, (3) biotech-inspired technology centers, and (4) partnerships with academic institutions such as Stanford, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), and UC Berkeley.
This is not the first time we have seen a combination of curiosity-driven science (modeled best by the university system), multidisciplinary experts under one roof (institutes such as the Broad do this well today), scientific infrastructure, tools (normally seen in a biotech), and almost unconstrained funding, working together to push the scientific progress pedal to the metal. (There are some similarities to the model of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute [HHMI], which employs ∼270 biomedical investigators in a people-not-projects approach to conduct “risky” research.)
Arc aims to flourish by nurturing the early noncommercial preclinical stage of discovery pertaining to complex diseases such as Alzheimer's, as opposed to casting a wider net on human health and treating disease such as the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative or similar recent endeavors that have a broader biology and engineering slant (Box 1).
To ensure that discoveries at Arc that are medically relevant (such as key disease pathways and targets) actually make an impact on patients, the nonprofit plans to provide translational support: a faster IP licensing process, finance assistance, and a drug development and expert advisory network. Arc will also form targeted entrepreneurial teams committed to exploring specific concepts, such as a new gene target or effector chemical. Ultimately, the mission is to enable Arc scientists, engineers, and innovators to translate their research into tangible benefits for patients with complex disease.