Virtual Cell Foundation Models: Technical Architecture and Implementation
Date:
Detailed technical proposal for implementing virtual cell foundation models at BGI. Outlined comprehensive architecture including: (1) Cell-level pre-training on 100M+ single-cell profiles from BGI’s biobank; (2) Multimodal integration of transcriptomics, proteomics, and morphology; (3) Hierarchical modeling of cell states, cell types, and developmental trajectories; (4) Causal inference modules for perturbation prediction. Discussed computational infrastructure requirements, data preprocessing pipelines, and quality control protocols. Proposed validation framework using experimental perturbation studies. Defined collaboration model between AI team, wet lab scientists, and clinical researchers for iterative model refinement and real-world testing.