“Can we cure, prevent or manage all disease by the end of this century?”, were the words of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg when he addressed a packed auditorium at the University of California (UCSF). Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan are turning their considerable wealth, knowledge and resources for altogether more philanthropic purposes - they’ve unveiled a plan to invest $3bn over the next 10 years to "cure, prevent or manage all diseases by the end of the century".
This is not the first time that tech companies have been turning their attention towards matters of health. Earlier this month IQ Analytics reported on Google DeepMind working with the NHS in order to treat head and neck cancer and Microsoft is embarking on a mission to ‘solve’ cancer using computer science. However, the plan unveiled in the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative stands apart due to its far-reaching ambition - to tackle all diseases.
Rather than simply providing funds for existing medical research projects, this initiative looks to fund technology that provides tools for better working and collaboration capabilities for scientists and researchers all over the world. In line with this, a flagship investment is $600m into ‘Biohub’ at UCSF, which connects scientists and engineers from Stanford, Berkeley and UCSF itself to develop new tools to treat diseases in ways never thought possible.
This sentiment was echoed by Zuckerberg himself in his address to the University, stating “throughout the history of science, most of the major scientific breakthroughs have been preceded by some new tool and technology that allows you to see in new ways”. It was proposed that AI could be used in brain imaging to treat neurological diseases, machine learning could be used to analyse cancer genomes, and chips and blood monitors could identify diseases quickly. “These are the kinds of tools we want to focus on building at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative,” he said.
The initiative has received backing from none other than Bill Gates who himself has funded projects tackling HIV and Malaria through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Gates made an unexpected appearance on stage, an instance of tech giants standing shoulder to shoulder with one another - something seldom seen in the industry.
“We cannot end these diseases with the tools we have today. Only through science can we get an HIV vaccine, a malaria vaccine,” Gates said at the event. “I am so impressed with the team that’s been pulled together here. I have no doubt that we’ll make great progress on these diseases and literally save millions of lives and make the world a better place.”
It’s fantastic to see key figures in tech looking to tackle the world's problems that exist outside of their usual remit. Perhaps in the not so distant future we will be talking about thought leaders in technology leaving their mark on the world in the same way as the great medical breakthroughs of days gone by - standing on the shoulders of giants to make the world a better place for everyone.
