Arc launches the 2026 Virtual Cell Challenge with a zero-shot CRISPRi prediction task

Arc Institute/Virtual Cell Challenge

Arc Institute opened its 2026 Virtual Cell Challenge, a public contest to build AI models that predict how a human cell responds when a gene is turned down. This year is zero-shot: there is no training data for the contest, and models must predict CRISPRi knockdown effects in six cell lines never perturbed before, given only their untouched state. It tests whether 'virtual cell' models generalise rather than memorise.

• CRISPRi dials a gene's activity down without cutting DNA; the data are single-cell readouts of thousands of genes after each knockdown.
• Three cell lines feed a live leaderboard; three are held back. Final test set 22 October, submissions due 5 November, winners mid to late November.
• Prizes: $100,000, $50,000 and $25,000 in cash and NVIDIA compute credits; sponsors NVIDIA, 10x Genomics and Ultima Genomics.
• The 2025 edition drew over 5,000 registrants from 114 countries and more than 1,200 teams.