Lifeboat Foundation

In Brief

• Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg recently opened his wallet in order to create BioHub, a $600 million center that will focus on working to create a human cell directory.
• By mapping the trillions of cells in the human body, experts would be able to develop new drugs and vaccines to combat — and potentially end — disease.

Last month, we reported on the Human Cell Atlas, a project that plans to provide a detailed reference map of the human body’s trillions of cells. Yes, trillions. Once completed, the project could revolutionize healthcare by giving doctors and researchers a better way to predict, diagnose, and treat diseases.

Initiatives like this need funding – so Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg opened his wallet and founded BioHub, a $600 million center that will focus on helping create a human cell directory. Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, plan to give away $3 billion over 10 years to fight disease, and BioHub is the couple’s first initiative.