Advancing Technologies for Spatiotemporal Omics in Live Tissue

About this funding opportunity

This RFA closed November 13, 2025 Advancing Technologies for Spatiotemporal Omics in Live Tissue

Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Network and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative invite applications for two-year initial research projects that merge cutting-edge engineering with deep biological inquiry to illuminate the dynamic molecular landscape of health and disease, unlocking new frontiers in high-precision interventions. This RFA represents a strategic investment in transformative research with the potential to drive breakthroughs that significantly advance our health.

Download Packet\\ \\ (Opens in a new window) RFA Contact

For administrative and programmatic inquiries, or other questions pertaining to this RFA, please contact sciencegrants@chanzuckerberg.com. Key Dates

September 16, 2025

Application portal opens

November 13, 2025

Applications due by 2 pm PT / 5 pm ET

Late February 2026

Earliest notification of decisions (subject to change)

April 1, 2026

Expected start date (subject to change) Opportunity

Overview

Current spatial omics technologies that can comprehensively profile the proteome and metabolome rely on frozen or fixed tissue sections, making it difficult to capture dynamic physiological processes over time. The limitation severely constrains our ability to monitor evolving molecular changes, investigate physiological processes as they unfold, and perform longitudinal analyses in models of health and disease. To overcome this critical gap, there is an urgent need for innovative, biocompatible, minimally invasive sampling and analytical technologies that enable real-time, high-resolution interrogation of proteomic and metabolomic landscapes in live tissues. With a focus on immunology and autoimmune disease, this program aims to catalyze the creation of scalable, engineering-driven solutions that support both _ex vivo_ and _in vivo_ applications.

The RFA program will be centered on the development of instrumented tissues that provide precise spatiotemporal insights into immune processes in tissue and disease models. These platforms are expected to monitor immune responses in real time and empower the development of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven computational models of cellular behavior (biomodels). By enabling comprehensive, dynamic characterization of inflammation and immune regulation, these technologies promise to uncover new mechanisms of disease, reveal early markers of cellular dysfunction, and accelerate therapeutic discovery. Integration with imaging, simulation, and closed-loop intervention systems would expand the biological insight and translational potential of these platforms. Broad dissemination of the resulting tools will amplify their impact, advancing fundamental research and fostering transformative translational innovation across the biomedical community.

Chan Zuckerberg (CZ) Biohub Chicago and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) are advancing a bold vision to decode and control tissue-scale inflammation through the development of next-generation bioengineering technologies. This mission aligns with the CZ Biohub Chicago’s Grand Challenge to create new tools for sensing and directly measuring inflammation within tissues in real time. At the core of this effort is the development of _Instrumented Tissues:_ engineered living systems embedded with devices enabling real-time, spatiotemporal monitoring of molecular signals. These groundbreaking platforms will enable an unprecedented view into the biological circuitry of human tissues, transforming how we measure, map, and modulate the immune system in health and disease.

CZ Biohub Chicago is pioneering technologies to study inflammatory processes dynamically, with the goal of revealing the design rules that govern tissue function and dysfunction. These capabilities will empower researchers to construct 4D maps of inflammation, decode complex cell-cell signaling networks, and identify actionable drivers of autoimmune diseases. This funding…

Topic areas: Life Sciences and Health, General and Cross-cutting R&D.

Funding amount

This grant provides Varies in funding.

Deadline

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; there is no single fixed deadline.

Who can apply

This opportunity is open to the following applicant types:

• Not specified by the program.

Eligibility

The program did not publish a separate eligibility statement. See the official opportunity page for the full eligibility criteria.

Agency

Advancing Technologies for Spatiotemporal Omics in Live Tissue is administered by Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), listed via Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.