The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of collaboration, data sharing, and scientific innovation.

To help researchers better understand SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) launched a new partnership to share single-cell research data.

The collaboration aims to speed scientific discovery and support the development of new treatments and therapies.

Accelerating COVID-19 Research Through Data Sharing

CIRM and CZI signed a Memorandum of Understanding that combines the strengths of both organizations.

The partnership connects CIRM’s research infrastructure and data resources with CZI’s expertise in data visualization and technology.

As part of the collaboration, CIRM-funded researchers studying COVID-19 can share their data through CZI’s Cellxgene platform.

Cellxgene allows scientists to explore how SARS-CoV-2 affects individual cells. The platform helps researchers visualize and analyze large datasets in an interactive and accessible format.

By making these data more broadly available, scientists can build on each other’s findings and accelerate progress.

Combining Expertise to Unlock Single-Cell Insights

Dr. Maria T. Millan, CIRM’s President and CEO, said the partnership strengthens ongoing efforts to use genomics and sequencing technologies to fight COVID-19.

“We are pleased to enter into this partnership with CZI,” said Dr. Millan. “This collaboration allows us to leverage our investments in genomics science in the fight against COVID-19.”

She noted that CIRM has long supported data sharing through programs focused on genomics and stem cell research.

That commitment includes investments in the Stem Cell Hub at the University of California, Santa Cruz, which can process the large and complex datasets generated through this effort.

Jonah Cool, Program Officer for Single-Cell Biology at CZI, emphasized the value of rapid data sharing during a public health emergency.

“Quickly sharing scientific data about COVID-19 is vital,” he said. “Researchers can build on each other’s work and accelerate progress toward understanding and treating a complex disease.”

Building a Collaborative Response to the Pandemic

In March 2020, the CIRM Board approved $5 million in emergency funding for COVID-19 research.

Since then, CIRM has funded 17 projects, including studies that examine how SARS-CoV-2 affects cells at the single-cell level.

Three CIRM-funded projects plan to contribute data through the new collaboration:

• Dr. Evan Snyder and his team at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute are using induced pluripotent stem cells to create lung organoids. Researchers will infect those organoids with SARS-CoV-2 and test potential drug candidates.
• Dr. Brigitte Gomperts and her team at UCLA are using stem cell-derived lung organoids to identify therapies that may reduce infection and limit lung damage.
• Dr. Justin Ichida and colleagues at the University of Southern California are studying whether kinase inhibitors can protect stem cells in the lungs and other virus-targeted organs.

By sharing their findings through CellXGene, these researchers can contribute to a growing global resource for COVID-19 research.

Advancing Open Science

The partnership also aligns with broader efforts to make COVID-19 data openly available to scientists worldwide.

CZI supports several additional projects that examine how COVID-19 progresses in individual cells and tissues.

Those studies are generating some of the earliest single-cell datasets from people infected with SARS-CoV-2. Researchers hope those data will reveal how the virus infects different cell types and how the disease progresses.

Stephen Lin, PhD, Senior Science Officer at CIRM, said the value of shared data extends far beyond any individual study.

“Cumulative data on how SARS-CoV-2 affects people is incredibly powerful in the fight against COVID-19,” he said.

As scientists continue to confront complex diseases, partnerships like this one demonstrate how open science and collaboration can accelerate discovery and improve our understanding of human health.