DRIVING RESEARCH: JKTG-FUNDED PROJECT CREATES "VIRTUAL CELL LAB" AS TESTING GROUND FOR FUTURE RESEARCH WITH LIVE CELLS

Project reflects JKTG focus on building collaborative research to fast-track cancer breakthroughs

IMAGE: microscopic view of cancer cells

The Jayne Koskinas Ted Giovanis (JKTG) Foundation is proud to support a pioneering collaborative that enables researchers to simulate and test biological processes through a shared “virtual cell laboratory.”

This groundbreaking initiative—led by scientists from Indiana University, Johns Hopkins Medicine, the University of Maryland, and Oregon Health & Science University—uses innovative agent-based modeling software, PhysiCell, to create a computational framework that mirrors complex cell behaviors across tissues and disease states. By transforming biological knowledge into a machine-readable “grammar,” researchers can now simulate behaviors such as tumor growth and treatment impact on cancer cells accelerating the pace and precision of biomedical discovery.

“The JKTG Foundation was an early supporter of PhysiCell and this evolution reflects the power in our core belief,” said Ted Giovanis, JKTG Foundation founder and president. “By fostering scientific collaboration and giving researchers the freedom to ask questions of each other and traditional science, we can best create meaningful ways to more effectively explore, test, and ultimately translate novel biological insights into advances that improve in human health. Working together, we can make a real difference.”

Read more about the project here. Read the journal article in Cell here.