SBU Computer Science Professor to Lead AI Innovation in $11M ARPA-H Vaccine Research Initiative

Haibin Ling
Professor Haibin Ling

Stony Brook University's Department of Computer Science (CS) is taking a leading role in revolutionizing vaccine development through artificial intelligence, as CS Professor Haibin Ling joins an $11 million research initiative by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).

The project, known as SPHERICAL (Scientific Platform for High Efficacy Antigen Design via Robust Integration of Computational Experiments, AI, and Protein Modeling), aims to transform how vaccines are developed by creating an innovative AI-driven platform for antigen design.
 

"This collaboration represents a unique opportunity to apply cutting-edge AI techniques to one of healthcare's most critical challenges," says Ling, who will lead Stony Brook's contribution to the project. "By developing innovative deep learning solutions, we're working to make vaccine development more efficient and effective, potentially saving countless lives."
 

Working alongside Dr. Yuewei Lin from Brookhaven National Laboratory, the Stony Brook team will focus on three key areas:

  • Developing advanced AI solutions to address data scarcity challenges
  • Creating new methods for analyzing 3D molecular structures
  • Integrating multi-modal data to enhance antigen design accuracy

"The selection of Professor Ling's team for this transformative project demonstrates Stony Brook's leadership in applying artificial intelligence to solve critical global health challenges," says Samir Das, professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science. "This initiative perfectly aligns with our commitment to pioneering research that can make a real-world impact."
 

The five-year project, running through August 2029, brings together seven leading institutions, Texas A&M University, Rutgers University, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, University of Missouri, Stony Brook University, University of Tennessee Knoxville, and Argonne National Laboratory. As part of this multi-million dollar initiative, Stony Brook University will receive $809,338 to support its crucial AI research contributions.
 

This project is part of ARPA-H's broader $204 million commitment to developing computational tools for designing vaccines that can target multiple viruses simultaneously. The research aims to create a comprehensive platform that could revolutionize how we approach vaccine development for various health threats, including bacterial pathogens and cancer.

 

-By Yuganshu Jain