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Bioptimus Announces STELA: The World’s Largest Clinically Linked Spatial Biology Atlas, alongside key partners 10x Genomics and Broad Clinical Labs

The global initiative aims to profile up to 100,000 patient specimens to scale M-Optimus, the world model of biology, representing a ~20x increase in scale over existing data available in the world today

  • The Launch of STELA: Bioptimus is establishing the largest clinically linked multimodal atlas, starting in oncology and immunology tissue, designed to generate harmonized multi-omics patient data.
  • A Strategic Partnership with 10x Genomics: Leveraging the Xenium spatial transcriptomics platform as the foundational partner for the launch, the initiative sets a new benchmark for reproducible, AI-ready data generation across leading research institutions worldwide.
  • A Strategic Partnership with the Broad Clinical Labs: A multi-year agreement with Broad Clinical Laboratories to support STELA via the generation of spatial biology data at scale.
  • Profiling Up to 100,000 Patient Specimens: Representing a ~20-fold increase in scale over existing spatial biology atlases, STELA will integrate spatial technologies, pathology imaging, multi-omics, and longitudinal clinical data across three continents.

 

PARIS, March 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Bioptimus, a global AI company building the world’s first world model for biology, today announced the launch of its Spatial Tissue Embedding Learning Atlas (STELA), a multinational spatial data generation initiative anchored by a partnership with 10x Genomics, Inc. (Nasdaq: TXG) and Broad Clinical Labs.

While foundation models for language have thrived on vast digital datasets, biology has long lacked the standardized, high-quality data scale required for a similar breakthrough, particularly for clinical data; Bioptimus is closing this gap by building the data infrastructure necessary to power M-Optimus, the first multimodal and multiscale world model of biology. STELA will serve as the data backbone for M-Optimus, generating massive datasets designed to decrypt the complex organization of human tissues. M-Optimus will leverage this massive multimodal repository to map how molecular and cellular interactions drive disease in fields like oncology and inflammation, ultimately allowing researchers to anticipate patient responses to novel therapies, accelerate drug development, and design more effective immunotherapies.

Starting with 10x Genomics” Xenium spatial transcriptomics and designed to integrate additional spatial and molecular profiling technologies over time, STELA will generate harmonized datasets, integrating: high-resolution spatial transcriptomics, matched histopathology imaging, multi-omics data (e.g., genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics), with longitudinal clinical records. The initiative aims to profile up to 100,000 patient tissue specimens across three continents: the United States, Europe, and Asia, establishing the world’s largest clinically linked, spatially profiled, multimodal patient data atlas.

Participating hospitals and research institutions will contribute samples under standardized protocols and, in return, receive access to rich spatial characterization and foundation model capabilities. This collaboration empowers clinicians to turn raw data into actionable insights through more precise diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. By aligning data generation protocols, data processing and storage, and AI model development within a unified framework at a diverse, global scale, STELA establishes foundational infrastructure for the next era of biological AI.

“Today, most patients’ diagnostic data is used to inform decisions for only that individual. We envision a world where every patient can contribute insights to better inform the care and treatment outcomes of future patients; just as patients with other diseases, other heritage and even from the past are informing their treatment,” said Jean Philippe Vert, PhD, Co-Founder and CEO of Bioptimus. “STELA is the fuel to power M-Optimus, allowing us to map the intricate interactions between cells and tissues, across indications, at unprecedented scales, unlocking a new era of precision medicine.”

Industry-Shaping Partnerships

The collaboration between Bioptimus and 10x Genomics aligns advanced spatial biology technologies with large-scale AI foundation model development, bringing together complementary capabilities to reshape how biomedical data is generated and applied. Using the Xenium platform, STELA will generate highly standardized spatial datasets across participating institutions worldwide, enabling the large-scale, reproducible data generation required for large-scale AI model development.

“Many of the most important questions in medicine come down to understanding how cells interact within complex human tissues,” said Serge Saxonov, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of 10x Genomics. “By enabling spatial profiling at unprecedented scale, STELA will generate foundational datasets that allow researchers to connect the underlying biology with disease outcomes, unlocking new insights that can accelerate and improve therapeutic discovery and development.”

Bioptimus will anchor its STELA initiative through a landmark collaboration with the Broad Clinical Laboratories, bridging industrial-scale data generation with frontier AI research. This partnership leverages Broad’s high-throughput spatial biology capabilities to process biological samples at scale, creating a massive-scale repository of high-resolution spatial transcriptomics data. Beyond data production, the two organizations will co-develop next-generation, AI-driven quality control metrics and predictive tools designed to optimize assay performance and automate biological insights. By integrating Bioptimus’s proprietary AI models with Broad’s world leading laboratory workflows, this collaboration ensures that the STELA initiative is built on a foundation of unprecedented technical precision, accelerating the development of transformative AI models for the life sciences.

“To unlock the true clinical potential of spatial biology, we must pair massive-scale data generation with uncompromising data quality,” Niall Lennon, Chief Scientific Officer of Broad Clinical Labs added. “By combining our high-throughput laboratory workflows with Bioptimus’s advanced AI, we are co-developing next-generation quality control metrics that ensure the highest data integrity. This unprecedented technical precision guarantees that the insights generated by STELA can be confidently translated into actionable clinical diagnostics and precision therapies.”

About Bioptimus

Bioptimus is a global AI biotech company pioneering the world’s first universal foundation model for biology. By combining cutting-edge AI with massive, multimodal, proprietary data generation, Bioptimus is building a unifying framework that connects all scales of biology, from molecules to patients, delivering interpretable, dynamic, and actionable insights. M-Optimus-1 represents the first World Model of Biology. H-Optimus, the foundation model of human histology has over 1 million downloads, and is an industry-leading model being adopted across research, drug discovery, and clinical pipelines. Bioptimus models are in use by 16 of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies.

For more information about Bioptimus, visit: www.bioptimus.com

Media Contact:

press@bioptimus.com

About 10x Genomics
10x Genomics is a life science technology company building products to accelerate the mastery of biology and advance human health. Our integrated research solutions include instruments, consumables and software for single cell and spatial biology, which help academic and translational researchers and biopharmaceutical companies understand biological systems at a resolution and scale that matches the complexity of biology. Our products are behind breakthroughs in oncology, immunology, neuroscience and more, fueling powerful discoveries that are transforming the world’s understanding of health and disease. To learn more, visit 10xgenomics.com.

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Sean Hofherr

Chief of Clinical Strategy and Product Development, Broad Clinical Labs

Sean Hofherr is dual board certified by ABMGG in Clinical Biochemical Genetics and Clinical Molecular Genetics. Sean serves as the Chief of Clinical Strategy and Product Development at Broad Clinical Labs. In this role at BCL, Sean is able to leverage his extensive experience to guide the clinical vision and delivery across the organization. Sean most recently served as the Chief Operating Office at Fabric Genomics, which focuses on the use of AI and Bioinformatics for Clinical Interpretation of whole genome sequencing. Prior to Fabric, Sean was the Chief Scientific Officer and CLIA Director at the commercial reference laboratory, GeneDx.

Sean received his B.S. degree in Microbiology and Cell Sciences from the University of Florida before earning his Ph.D. in Molecular and Human Genetics from Baylor College of Medicine. Sean completed clinical fellowships in Clinical Biochemical Genetics and Clinical Molecular Genetics at the Mayo Clinic.

Danielle Perrin

Chief of Staff, Broad Clinical Labs

As Broad Clinical Labs’ Chief of Staff, Danielle Perrin advises and supports colleagues on the executive leadership team in BCL’s strategic planning and execution. She builds and leads new organizational functions and processes and leads critical projects, as well as driving effective information flow, decision making, and execution throughout the organization. An operations leader with a business, engineering, and biology background and 20+ years of experience in the genomics field, Perrin has a track record of driving operational excellence and building and scaling both physical and business processes. During her career at Broad, which started in 2003 at the tail end of the Human Genome Project, Perrin has led laboratory operations and R&D teams in Broad’s Genomics Platform, as well as fulfilling senior advisory and leadership roles in the Broad Institute’s COO and CFO offices.

Perrin received her B.S. in Biology and M.E. in Biotechnology Engineering from Tufts University and her M.B.A. from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Tim De Smet

Chief Commercial Officer, Broad Clinical Labs

As Chief Commercial Officer of Broad Clinical Labs, Tim De Smet leads BCL’s business development, alliance management, external project management, and customer support teams. A Broad Institute employee since 2008, De Smet has held leadership roles and managed teams of various sizes in Broad’s Genomics Platform and clinical lab, spanning laboratory operations, finance, and informatics, and has expertise in work design, financial modeling, and high scale laboratory and business operations.

De Smet received his B.S. in Biochemistry and M.B.A. from Northeastern University.

Jim Meldrim

Chief Technology Officer, Broad Clinical Labs

As Chief Technology Officer, Jim Meldrim sets the vision for Broad Clinical Labs’ informatics systems, including the hardware and software used for sample intake and tracking, data production, analysis, and delivery. Having held a variety of laboratory and informatics-focused leadership roles at Broad, spanning R&D and production operations, Meldrim has been a leader and innovator in the generation, management, and analysis of genomic data since 1999, beginning with sequencing data generation for the Human Genome Project.

Meldrim received his B.S. in Biology from Cornell University.

Sheila Dodge

Chief Operating Officer, Broad Clinical Labs

As Chief Operating Officer, Sheila Dodge leads Broad Clinical Labs’ process development and implementation activities, as well as lab operations, financial planning and operations, quality & compliance, and core business processes. A Six Sigma Black Belt with extensive experience in process development and high throughput genomics operations, Dodge is an expert in work design and in collaborating with a range of collaborators, scientists, engineers, and technology partners to rapidly integrate new technologies and operationalize innovations. A member of the Broad Institute since 2001, Dodge is an Institute Scientist and lectures at the MIT Sloan School of Management on operations, dynamic work design, and visual management techniques.

Dodge received her B.A. in biochemistry and molecular biology from Boston University and her master’s degree in biology from Harvard University. She earned her M.B.A. from MIT Sloan School of Management.

Heidi Rehm, Ph.D., FACMG

Chief Medical Officer and Clinical Laboratory Director, Broad Clinical Labs

Heidi Rehm is board-certified by ABMGG in Clinical Molecular Genetics and Genomics and serves as BCL’s Chief Medical Officer and Clinical Laboratory Director. She oversees BCL’s regulatory requirements, leads the clinical team performing genomic interpretation and variant analysis, and guides BCL’s efforts in genomic testing for clinical and research use. She is also an Institute Member of the Broad and co-director of the Medical and Population Genetics Program. Rehm is also the Chief Genomics Officer in the Department of Medicine and Genomic Medicine Unit Director at the Center for Genomic Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, working to integrate genomics into medical practice. She is a principal investigator of ClinGen, providing free and publicly accessible resources to support the interpretation of genes and variants. She co-leads both the Broad Center for Mendelian Genomics, focused on discovering novel rare disease genes, and the Matchmaker Exchange, which aids in gene discovery. She is Chair of the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health, a principal investigator of the Broad-LMM-Color All of Us Genome Center, co-leader of the Genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD), and a Board Member and Vice President of Laboratory Genetics for the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics.

Rehm received her B.A. degree in molecular biology and biochemistry from Middlebury College before earning her M.S. in biomedical science from Harvard Medical School and Ph.D. in genetics from Harvard University. She completed her post-doctoral training with David Corey in neurobiology and a fellowship in clinical molecular genetics at Harvard Medical School.

Niall Lennon, Ph.D.

Chair and Chief Scientific Officer, Broad Clinical Labs

As Chair and Chief Scientific Officer of Broad Clinical Labs, Niall Lennon leads the team and sets the scientific and clinical vision for the organization. Dr. Lennon joined the Broad Institute in 2006 and has since contributed to the development of applications for every major massively parallel sequencing platform across a range of fields. In 2013 Dr. Lennon led the effort to establish a CLIA licensed, CAP-accredited clinical laboratory at the Broad Institute to facilitate return of results to patients and to support clinical trials. More recently, he has led efforts to achieve FDA approval for large-scale genomics projects (NIH’s All of Us Research Program) and for Broad’s own clinical diagnostic for COVID-19 testing operation, which returned 37+ million results to patients. Dr. Lennon is a principal investigator of the eMerge and All of Us projects, an Institute Scientist at Broad, Associate Director of Broad’s Gerstner Center for Cancer Diagnostics, and an adjunct professor of biomedical engineering at Tufts University, where he teaches Molecular Biotechnology.

Dr. Lennon received a Ph.D. in pharmacology from University College Dublin and completed his postdoctoral studies at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. He holds an executive certificate in management from the MIT Sloan School of Management.