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Virtual Cell ChallengeArc Institute—

Arc Institute

Evo DNA AI, virtual cell, bridge editing

USprivateest. 2021arcinstitute.org (opens arcinstitute.org)Checked 25 Sep

The brief

Analyst view
  • Evo 2 (Feb 2025, with NVIDIA) learned from DNA of all known life and can predict effects of mutations and write new sequences.
  • In 2024 Arc researchers showed 'bridge RNAs' that guide enzymes to insert, delete or flip DNA.
  • The second Virtual Cell Challenge launched on 20 Aug 2026.

Technical approach

As reported
DNA models

Language models for DNA

Evo reads DNA letters like words in a very long text, learning its grammar so it can predict mutation effects and design new sequences.

Virtual cell

Predicting how cells react

Models trained on huge single-cell datasets predict how a cell's genes respond when a gene is switched off or a drug added.

Editing

Bridge editing

A 'bridge RNA' grabs both a target and a donor piece of DNA and guides an enzyme to rearrange them without cutting both strands.

Programs

Arc Institute, two programs

Updated 20 Aug 2026
Evo genomic foundation modelsAI models trained on DNA that can score mutations and write new sequences, from single genes up to whole virus genomes.PilotNextExtend design to complex (eukaryotic) genomesUpdated 1 Feb 2025View program →Virtual Cell ChallengeA yearly public contest where teams predict how single cells' genes respond to changes, scored on new data Arc makes for it.PilotNext2026 winners announcedUpdated 20 Aug 2026View program →
Research · Proto · Pilot · Deploy · Scaling

Research & demos

3 items

Open technical problems

Open · Active · Partial
  • Do DNA models understand function?Active research

    AI-written DNA can look natural but fail in cells; slow lab testing limits how fast the models improve.

  • Bridge editing in human cellsActive research

    Bridge editing must work well and precisely in human cells before it can be a treatment.

Upcoming catalysts

Company-wide
  • 22 Oct20262026 Virtual Cell Challenge: final test set releasedVirtual Cell Challengein 12 d
  • Nov20262026 Virtual Cell Challenge winners announcedVirtual Cell Challengeby ~2 mo

Peers

Synthetic biology · 1

Company & funding

HQ
US
Founded
2021

Partners & customers

2 partners

People

Key people
Primer