Introduction to the Obesity Machine Learning Competition - Tackling Metabolic Diseases

Learn about a groundbreaking machine learning competition focused on tackling obesity and metabolic diseases through this 12-minute introductory video. Discover how the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Center at the Broad Institute, in partnership with Massachusetts General Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Crunch DAO, has launched the Obesity Machine Learning Challenge running from December 2025 to April 2026. Explore the challenge's objective to predict how CRISPR/Cas9 gene perturbations influence adipocyte fate - the specialized fat-storing cells that can differentiate into either energy-storing or energy-burning cells. Understand the global impact of obesity affecting over 890 million people worldwide and its connection to increased risks of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers. Gain insights into how top predictions will be experimentally validated in Broad Institute laboratories and learn about the lecture series designed to provide essential biology background, technology details, and data information needed to participate in this innovative competition that bridges machine learning with critical health research.