Chan Zuckerberg Initiative's Biohub to open new rare disease funding round. Jun 25, 2026 - 23:17 Priscilla Chan (R) and her husband Mark Zuckerberg announce the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to "cure, prevent or manage all disease" by the end of the century during a news conference at UCSF Mission Bay in San Francisco. Beck Diefenbach | Reuters Biohub, a Chan Zuckerberg Initiative-funded non-profit research organization, announced Thursday that it will open another round of funding through its Rare As One Network this fall. It marks the fourth round of grants for the rare disease community from Rare As One, which has committed more than $150 million to rare disease initiatives through the four funding cycles. "When I was a pediatric resident, I would sit across from families who had done everything right - researched, advocated, fought for answers - and I had to tell them that medicine just didn't know yet. Those families never left me. We built Rare As One because we believe patients aren't bystanders to scientific progress - they are among its most powerful drivers," Priscilla Chan said in a statement to CNBC. The application window for the fourth cycle will likely open in October, though an official date has not yet been announced. Awards will be targeted towards groups focused primarily on rare pulmonary and immune diseases, as well as rare cancers. The announcement also expands Biohub's partnership with Every Cure, the nonprofit founded by Dr. David Fajgenbaum that uses artificial intelligence to identify opportunities to repurpose existing medicines for diseases with few or no treatment options. Biohub already serves as a foundational philanthropic backer of Every Cure. Through the new collaboration, select patient organizations will partner with Every Cure to advance promising drug repurposing opportunities identified from its AI-driven platform, with the goal of taking those findings and turning them into patient-centered research programs. "I'm thrilled about our expanded partnership - from an initial grant to get started with building our AI platform in 2023, to where we are now," Fajgenbaum said. "There's no better organization or team to work with on this shared mission." Dr. David Fajgenbaum, one of the founders of Every Cure, a nonprofit focused on drug repurposing. Courtesy of Every Cure It's all part of a broader push from Chan and Mark Zuckerberg to further incorporate AI in their ambitious quest to eliminate disease. Biohub recently launched its Virtual Biology Initiative - a $500 million effort to build a predictive model of the cell. As part of that announcement, Biohub also introduced its own AI model designed to accelerate drug discovery. "In the seven years since we launched, 94 patient-led organizations have built research networks, launched clinical trials, and in some cases are now sponsoring those trials themselves," Chan said. "What once felt impossible is happening. And now, with AI accelerating what's scientifically possible, every day we are lifting the ceiling of what's possible for families," she added. For Biohub's Rare As One program, the announcement marks another milestone in what has been a transformational relationship with the rare disease advocacy community. To date, Biohub says the organizations it supports have engaged more than 320,000 patients and community members, along with 26,000 researchers. Those organizations have shown how advanced and sophisticated patient-led advocacy groups have become over the past decade, with two-thirds of the groups that received funding from Rare As One building research assets and tools that will help accelerate understanding of rare diseases, and more than half contributing to the development and launch of clinical trials. "We founded the Rare As One Project because we saw that patients were playing a critical role in scientific discovery," Tania Simoncelli, Biohub vice president of translational science, said in a blog post. "What we have witnessed across three cycles is something even more powerful than we imagined. Patients, researchers, and clinicians working together aren't just accelerating timelines: they are reshaping the biomedical research paradigm." Sunitha Malepati, a CNBC Cures Advisory Board member and the vice president of the CACNA1A Foundation - a group that was awarded a grant from Biohub - said being selected to the program completely transformed what her group was able to accomplish. "When we joined the network, we were a young organization with a bold vision but limited infrastructure. Through the program's funding, training, and peer community, we were able to build the organizational capacity needed to actively driving research," she said. Malepati said the money helped establish research partnerships and organize the patient and scientific communities around CACANA1A-related disorders, a group of rare, lifelong neurological and genetic conditions. "Rare As One recognized early on that patient-led organizations can be powerful catalysts for scientific advancement, and their belief in our community has helped accelerate hope toward tangible treatments," she added. By combining its growing presence in the rare disease community along with its growing investment in AI-based medical technologies, Biohub hopes that those tangible treatments start to come faster than ever before - and that the patients desperate for answers can start getting the help that they need.

Angels for Change and Every Cure announce collaboration to advance patient access to repurposed medicines. Shared commitment to ensuring patients receive the medicines they need when and where they are needed PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - June 11, 2026 - Today, Angels for Change and Every Cure announced a collaboration aimed at strengthening patient access to repurposed medicines and advancing a more resilient, patient-centered healthcare system. Angels for Change and Every Cure share a commitment to ensuring patients have access to the treatments they need- whether that means discovering and advancing new uses for existing medicines or ensuring those medicines are available when patients need them. By combining expertise in drug shortages, supply chain resilience, and drug repurposing, the partnership will support shared efforts to expand access to lifesaving therapies. Particularly for generic essential medicines that form the backbone of healthcare. "Generic medicines are the backbone of healthcare, but for too many patients, access is not guaranteed," said Laura Bray, Chief Change Maker at Angels for Change. "Through this partnership with Every Cure, we are working to ensure that existing medicines are both reimagined for new uses and consistently available, so no patient goes without care. It's time to build a supply chain that delivers for both today's therapies and tomorrow's cures." "Innovation and access must go hand in hand," said David Fajgenbaum, MD, MBA, MSc, Co-Founder and President of Every Cure. "Together with Angels for Change, we are working toward a future where no patient is denied treatment, whether due to lack of identified treatments or lack of supply." Both organizations have been featured as CNN Champions for Change (Angels for Change in 2023 and Every Cure in 2025), underscoring their shared leadership, bold missions, and impact in addressing critical gaps in healthcare. Through this advising partnership, Angels for Change and Every Cure will collaborate on sharing expertise and amplifying awareness around the importance of ensuring the discovery, evidence generation, and availability of essential medicines. About Angels for Change Angels for Change is a nonprofit patient-advocacy organization dedicated to ending drug shortages through advocacy, awareness, and a resilient supply chain. As the operator of the nation's only Drug Shortage Hotline, Angels for Change partners across healthcare, supply chain, manufacturing, and government to ensure patients receive lifesaving medicines when and where they need them. About Every Cure Every Cure is a nonprofit biotech organization dedicated to saving and improving lives by repurposing drugs. Founded on pioneering drug repurposing research conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, Every Cure uses advanced data science and AI-driven approaches to systematically evaluate all approved drugs against all diseases. This comprehensive strategy helps uncover the most promising and efficient opportunities for helping people - particularly those with rare, neglected, and underserved conditions. By accelerating drug repurposing, Every Cure aims to deliver safer, faster, and more affordable treatments to patients who currently have limited or no options. For more information, visit everycure.org.