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Immunity By Design

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by Oxford University

5 episodes

Updated Daily

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Podcast Overview

From Cells to Systems Through Human and Machine Intelligence. Modern immunology stands at a transformative turning point. Emerging AI and experimental technologies are rapidly reshaping how we do and understand immunology. But this acceleration comes at a cost. A widening gap seems to emerge: those who adapt alongside these changes prove more effective at translating ideas into impact, while even the most brilliant concepts can be consumed by complexity and strategy. And in the middle, a central challenge remains: how do we move beyond pattern recognition to genuine mechanistic understanding? How do we use AI not as a black box for prediction, but as a tool to decode underlying biological principles? 'Immunity by Design: From Cells to Systems Through Human and Machine Intelligence', explores these questions with the pioneers in science an innovation as well as representatives of policymakers. Hosted by Professor Hashem Koohy -- a leading scientist with a research focus on systems immunology  the podcast brings together researchers, technology developers, entrepreneurs, and investors reimagining immune science for the digital age. Each episode explores how data, AI, and systems immunology are reshaping discovery: how researchers combine spatial and single-cell technologies, immune-repertoire profiling, and in-silico innovations to reveal disease mechanisms and inform therapeutic development; how experimental design can enable interpretable, mechanism driven AI; and how we trace the path from data to insight, from model to medicine, and from idea to impact.

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Publishing Since

3/25/2026

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Recent Episodes

July 1, 2026

AI Reveals Hidden Immune Memory in Eczema & Psoriasis | Lloyd Steele | Sanger Institute

Can AI uncover what a century of histopathology has missed? Dr Lloyd Steele explains how spatial transcriptomics reveals hidden immune memory niches driving eczema and psoriasis. Artificial intelligence and spatial genomics are transforming how we study human disease, but what happens when they reveal biology that has remained invisible for over a century of conventional histopathology? In this episode of Immunity by Design, I speak with Dr Lloyd Steele (Wellcome Sanger Institute & University of Cambridge), lead author of a groundbreaking study that combines single-cell genomics, high-plex spatial transcriptomics, AI-driven spatial analysis, and digital pathology to construct an atlas of more than 5 million human    skin cells across health, eczema (atopic dermatitis), and psoriasis. Together, we explore how advanced computational approaches uncovered previously hidden immune memory    niches embedded within the skin, specialized microenvironments that may explain why inflammatory skin diseases repeatedly return to the same locations even after successful treatment. Topics discussed include: • Why traditional histopathology cannot fully capture the molecular organization of inflamed tissues. • How AI and spatial transcriptomics reveal biologically meaningful tissue architecture beyond what the human eye can see. • The role of resident memory T cells in inflammatory relapse. • Hidden immune niches within sebaceous glands and sweat glands. • New insights into immune memory in eczema and psoriasis. • The promise of atlas-scale biology for precision medicine. • How AI, spatial biology, and computational immunology are reshaping disease research and drug discovery. • The future of multidisciplinary research at the intersection of immunology, genomics, and artificial intelligence. Whether you are an immunologist, clinician, computational biologist, AI researcher, dermatologist, or simply interested in how emerging technologies are changing biomedical science, this episode offers an accessible yet in-depth discussion of one of the most exciting advances in spatial immunology. Featured study: Steele L. et al. A spatial atlas of human skin reveals immune memory niches in inflammatory skin disease. bioRxiv (2026). https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.03.20.713219v1 About Immunity by Design: Immunity by Design is a podcast exploring the intersection of immunology, artificial intelligence, data science, biotechnology, and medicine. Each episode features leading scientists and innovators discussing the discoveries, technologies, and ideas that are shaping the future of human health. Subscribe for future conversations with world-leading researchers working at the frontiers of immunology and AI. Music: “Minimal” by paulyudin, sourced from Pixabay and used under the Pixabay Content License (royalty-free for commercial use). 

June 2, 2026

Beyond Black Boxes: Decoding T Cell Recognition with Interpretable AI

Professor David Gfeller discusses interpretable AI, TCR specificity profiles, cross-reactivity, chain pairing, and why understanding T cell recognition may matter more than black-box prediction. In this episode of Immunity by Design, Prof Hashem Koohy speaks with Professor David Gfeller (University of Lausanne & Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research) about the emerging rules governing T cell recognition and how interpretable AI may reshape computational immunology. The conversation explores three recent studies from David Gfeller’s group focused on TCR specificity profiles (TSPs), probabilistic modelling of TCR recognition, and the role of alpha-beta chain pairing in T cell specificity prediction. Together, these studies challenge several widely held assumptions in the field, including the dominance of black-box sequence prediction models, the centrality of paired TCR sequencing for prediction performance, and the underappreciated role of V and J gene usage in shaping antigen recognition. Key topics discussed include: Why sequence-based TCR prediction struggles to generalize across unseen epitopes o The biological and statistical foundations of TCR specificity profiles (TSPs) o TEMPO: an interpretable probabilistic framework for TCR epitope prediction o The importance of baseline repertoires in modelling T cell specificity o Structural insights into V/J gene usage and TCR recognition o Why alpha-beta chain pairing may contribute less predictive information than expected o Cross-reactivity, neoantigen recognition, and off-target toxicity prediction o The translational implications for TCR-based immunotherapies o Open science, preprints, and the future of AI-driven immunology research o The importance of interpretability in the era of increasingly powerful AI systems The episode also explores broader questions around multidisciplinary research culture, scientific training, and how computational and experimental scientists can collaborate more effectively. Music: “Minimal” by paulyudin, sourced from Pixabay and used under the Pixabay Content License (royalty-free for commercial use).  

May 22, 2026

The Hidden Biology of Crohn’s Fistula

Dr Agne Antanaviciute joins Prof Hashem Koohy to discuss how spatial omics and single-cell technologies uncovered the hidden biology of Crohn’s fistula and revealed fibroblasts as key drivers of disease. Crohn’s fistula is one of the most severe and understudied complications of inflammatory bowel disease, causing chronic pain, recurrent infection, and profoundly reduced quality of life. Yet for decades, little was understood about the cellular and molecular mechanisms driving these destructive lesions. In this episode of Immunity by Design, Prof Hashem Koohy is joined by Dr Agne Antanviciute, a corresponding author of the recent Nature paper “Spatial Fibroblast Niches Define Crohn’s Fistula”, to explore how cutting-edge spatial omics and single-cell technologies are reshaping our understanding of chronic intestinal inflammation. The conversation explores: - what Crohn’s fistula actually is and why it is so devastating for patients - how multimodal technologies including single-cell RNA sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, Xenium, Visium, and collagen imaging were integrated to build the largest molecular atlas of Crohn’s fistula to date - the discovery of specialised “FAS fibroblasts” that appear to drive tissue tunnelling, fibrosis, and chronic inflammation - how pathological wound healing and immune–stromal interactions may underpin disease progression - why these findings could have implications far beyond Crohn’s disease, including fibrosis and chronic inflammatory disorders in other organs - the future role of AI and computational biology in interpreting increasingly complex multimodal datasets The episode also reflects on multidisciplinary science, research culture, collaboration, scientific failure, and the changing future of biomedical research in the era of AI. Paper discussed: “Spatial Fibroblast Niches Define Crohn’s Fistula”, Nature (2025) Host: Prof Hashem Koohy, University of Oxford Guest: Dr Agne Antanaviciute Music: “Minimal” by paulyudin, sourced from Pixabay and used under the Pixabay Content License (royalty-free for commercial use).

5 total episodes available

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What is Immunity By Design?: From Cells to Systems Through Human and Machine Intelligence.

Modern immunology stands at a transformative turning point. Emerging AI and experimental technologies are rapidly reshaping how we do and understand immunology. But this acceleration comes at a cost. A widening gap seems to emerge: those who adapt alongside these changes prove more effective at translating ideas into impact, while even the most brilliant concepts can be consumed by complexity and strategy. And in the middle, a central challenge remains: how do we move beyond pattern recognition to genuine mechanistic understanding? How do we use AI not as a black box for prediction, but as a tool to decode underlying biological principles?

'Immunity by Design: From Cells to Systems Through Human and Machine Intelligence', explores these questions with the pioneers in science an innovation as well as representatives of policymakers. Hosted by Professor Hashem Koohy -- a leading scientist with a research focus on systems immunology the podcast brings together researchers, technology developers, entrepreneurs, and investors reimagining immune science for the digital age. Each episode explores how data, AI, and systems immunology are reshaping discovery: how researchers combine spatial and single-cell technologies, immune-repertoire profiling, and in-silico innovations to reveal disease mechanisms and inform therapeutic development; how experimental design can enable interpretable, mechanism driven AI; and how we trace the path from data to insight, from model to medicine, and from idea to impact.
How often does this podcast release new episodes?: This podcast updates daily.
Where can I listen to this podcast?: This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
Does this podcast accept guests?: Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.

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