Sheriff Group

The Sheriff Group at Earlham Institute develops AI-integrated Digital Twins of living systems. 

Digital Twins are virtual replicas of biological systems that combine data streams with computational models to simulate biological behaviour under different conditions, across scales from cells and tissues to whole organisms. The Group develops methods and tools to construct and apply this technology to various areas, including but not limited to precision medicine for rare diseases and cancer immunotherapy, as well as microbiome–host interactions and plant biology. 

For example, in humans, we combine mechanistic modelling, systems biology, generative AI, AI agents, and multi-omics and multimodal data to build Digital Twins that can simulate disease mechanisms, predict therapeutic responses, identify new drug targets, and explore how cells and tissues respond to genetic, molecular, environmental, and therapeutic perturbations. Our group will work closely with academic, clinical, and industry partners to translate these approaches into high-impact biological and biomedical applications. 

The group also aims to build transparent and reproducible modelling infrastructure by extending and co-hosting BioModels at Earlham Institute, contributing to the Institute’s vision for FAIR, reusable, and trustworthy AI/ML, mechanistic, and hybrid models in the life sciences.