Biomap Launches First Call for Projects under the Immune Atlas Excellence Program
BioMap
Developer of Innovative Drug R&D Platform
On May 10–11, 2021, the inaugural China Biocomputing Conference was held at the Suzhou International Expo Center, where BioMap announced an investment of RMB 1 billion to establish the "Immune Atlas Excellence Initiative" (hereinafter referred to as the "Excellence Initiative"), and signed strategic cooperation agreements with over 30 leading technology enterprises in the industry. Leveraging BioMap's core biocomputing engine, these partners will jointly provide advanced technological capabilities to support the mapping of the immune atlas.
The "Excellence Program" targets experts in cutting-edge biotechnology, drug development, and specialized clinical teams, providing research funding and technological engines to support a portfolio of high-quality translational medicine research projects. Through the collaborative development of an internationally leading "immune atlas," the initiative will enable more precise exploration of the complex immune mechanisms underlying cancer, autoimmune diseases, fibrosis, and aging, thereby making more efficient target discovery and drug design possible.
To date, BioMap has formed the "Excellence Program" Ecosystem Alliance with 33 enterprises and institutions, including leading pharmaceutical R&D companies such as WuXi Biology and Harbour BioMed; AI-driven drug discovery firms such as Suozhi Biotech and Yudao Biotech; computational drug design platforms such as DP Technology and SuiKun AI; cutting-edge omics enterprises such as BioAI and Purui Benchmark; as well as innovation and incubation collaboration platforms of major multinational pharmaceutical companies like the Merck Innovation Center.
Recently, the recruitment for the first batch of cohort studies and translational medicine projects under the "Excellence Program" has officially launched!
Technology Engine
The multi-omics integrated mining platform, computational drug design platform, and high-throughput in vitro model screening and drug validation platform provided by BioMap and its strategic partners, featuring extensive cutting-edge technology options and support from research PIs.
Knowledge Graph and Cohort Collaboration
BioMap will provide a portion of its proprietary immune atlas data, along with opportunities for the collaborative design of large-scale cohorts, to help the "Excellence Program" project secure additional research resources.
Funding
Selected regular projects will receive funding support of RMB 500,000–2,000,000 per project. Strategic-level projects will be subject to independent evaluation with no upper limit on funding support, and additional investment, incubation, and commercialization funding will be provided for projects requiring subsequent industrial translation.
Disease Focus:
Research on the immunological mechanisms of tumors, autoimmune diseases, and fibrotic diseases, with priority given to diseases characteristic of or highly prevalent in China.
Research Direction:
– Cohort Studies Related to the Discovery of New Drug Targets and Biomarkers
– Mechanisms of Resistance to Cancer Immunotherapy and a Cohort Study of Combination Therapy
– Research based on rare clinical case samples (e.g., longitudinal studies with repeated clinical sampling), including but not limited to autoimmune diseases, fibrotic diseases and immunity, aging and immunity, and other related research areas.
– Precision diagnosis and assessment of diseases (e.g., precision medicine, large-scale validation)
– Research and Optimization of Novel Translational Medicine Models (Such as Stem Cell-Based, Organoid, or Humanized Animal Models)
– Research on the Application of AI-Assisted Macromolecular Drug Design, Screening, and Optimization in Immunotherapy
Research Hypothesis:
The hypotheses underpinning the project and the corresponding experimental design should be sufficient to support the potential for publishing a paper in a journal with an impact factor of 10 or above.
Data Type:
Clinical research utilizing cutting-edge omics technologies, including but not limited to single-cell transcriptomics, spatial proteomics/transcriptomics, and multi-omics integration, as well as novel translational medicine models (e.g., stem cells, organoids, and humanized animal models), is encouraged.
Quality Control:
Encourage the exploration of novel technical approaches to mitigate batch effects, including specific protocols for sample collection, fixation, processing, and preservation, as well as control RNA spike-ins and control cell spike-ins.
Project Duration:
Within 2 years (including manuscript preparation); for prospective studies, the project duration may be appropriately extended based on project characteristics.
【June 15 – July 15】Project Application
Project applicants shall complete the "BioMap Excellence Program Project Application Form":http://www.biomap.com/excellence, submit to the dedicated email address for project applications by July 15:
excellence@biomap.com
【July 16 – July 31】Preliminary Project Screening
We will organize industry experts to conduct an evaluation and review, and will contact the shortlisted applicants who have passed the preliminary screening by July 31 to provide feedback and discuss the preparation arrangements for the 《Project Proposal》.
【August 1 – August 15】 Submit Project Proposal
Shortlisted projects shall submit a 《Project Proposal》 to refine the project plan.
【August 16 – August 31】Final Project Review
Based on the evaluation of the 《Project Proposal》, determine the final list of supported projects and the corresponding support methods, and communicate with the applicants to confirm the project cooperation agreement.
The organizer commits to maintaining strict confidentiality regarding the application materials. For any further inquiries, please contact the "Excellence Program" project team:
excellence@biomap.com