On Mar. 23, 2018, University of Southern California (USC) researchers launched a massive scientific effort to construct a detailed, virtual 3-D model of the pancreatic beta cell and its components – a global project that aims to one day curb the worldwide rise of diabetes.

Co-authors represented the new Pancreatic Beta Cell Consortium at USC announced in the journal Cell what they described as a ‘call to arms’ inviting scientists worldwide to join the cause and help model the cell at an atomic scale and whole-cell scale. The consortium was founded by researchers at the Bridge Institute at USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience. They ambitiously aimed to complete the project in five years.