Perturbation data at scale

Large datasets of how cells respond when genes or drugs change them.

Facts

Lane: Science and health
Wave: 5 of 12 (build order, not a date)
Needs: 3 boxes all the way back through hard links
Unlocks: 1 boxes downstream through hard links
Leverage: None
Cluster: Science and medicine

Evidence as of October 2026

Tahoe Therapeutics, Arc Institute and Biohub plan more than 120 million single-cell data points across 225,000 drug–patient interactions, to be open-sourced, in what they call the largest perturbation dataset for virtual cell models.

01Tahoe, Arc Institute and Biohub partner on the largest perturbation dataset

Around it

Needs · 1

Lab automationcapability · Emerging

Unlocks · 1

Virtual cell modelscapability · Speculative

Loops and off-ramps

Capex pullbackoff-ramp · slowed
Taiwan chip disruptionoff-ramp · slowed
Power shortfalloff-ramp · slowed
Training data ruled outoff-ramp · slowed

Openings researchers' judgement, October 2026 scouting

Startup room 36/100 · rank 81 of 124 Research room 48/100 · rank 64 of 124

Crowding3 Lab overlap3 Small-team fit2 Buyer today3 Research openness4

Depth: light
Players: Tahoe, Arc Institute and Biohub (120M-cell dataset); Biohub $500m; Xaira ($1bn); CZI perturbation programme
Wedge: New assay and measurement technology for cheap combinatorial or in-tissue perturbation; standalone data companies are squeezed by consortia. research