In 2022, the “Human Immunome AI Summit” was convened to outline how we could most effectively decode and model the immune system. Co-chaired by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and immunologist Peter Doherty, PhD, the Nobel laureate, the Summit was keynoted by Dr. Eric Topol, founder of the Scripps Research Translational Institute. It brought together over 60 leading biomedical and AI scientists to consider the possibility that scientific and medical advances had reached a stage where we could conceivably build predictive and mechanistic models of the immune system. The questions were, Can we do this, and if so then how? And who should lead the charge?
The Human Immunome Project
Concurring that a new initiative was needed and forming The Human Immunome Project, Co-Chief Science Officers John Tsang, PhD from Yale and Shai Shen-Orr, PhD, from The Technion, whose strategic vision was sketched out at the La Jolla symposium, began translating that overarching vision into an achievable program. Hans Keirstead, PhD was recruited to assume leadership as Chief Executive Officer of HIP. Together, they articulated a global study protocol and scaling strategy to generate the world’s largest and most comprehensive immunological dataset and build publicly available AI models of the immune system. The release of the Scientific Strategy marked the next phase of the organization.
Presentation of HIP’s Research Plan at La Caixa Foundation, November 2023
Scientific Partner Network
In 2025, Board Chair Jane Metcalfe assumed leadership of the organization as Executive Chair. In September of that year, Jane, John, and Shai announced the launch of the Scientific Partner Network, marking the largest collaboration in the history of systems immunology. With researchers representing 10 world-leading institutions across 5 continents, the Scientific Partner Network brings the world’s foremost computational systems immunologists together to further refine the scientific strategy, the core assays, a common study protocol, guidelines for participant engagement, as well as data storage and governance planning.
In November of 2025, the prestigious Banbury Center at Cold Spring Harbor Labs welcomed members of the Scientific Partner Network for HIP’s first in-person gathering, much as they had welcomed the Human Genome Project planners decades earlier. For insights into the significance of this meeting, check out HIP Banbury Series of interviews with our scientific partners on our YouTube channel.
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HIP Scientific Advisory Board Member Kari Nadeau, MD, PhD, FAAAAI at HIP’s Banbury Meeting, November 2025.