Ollivier Hyrien

Ollivier Hyrien is an Affiliate Professor of Biostatistics at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, where he also holds professorships in the Biostatistics, Bioinformatics and Epidemiology Program within the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, and the Herbold Computational Biology Program within the Public Health Sciences Division. He is additionally a Member of the Translational Data Science Integrated Research Center (TDS IRC) at Fred Hutch.

Dr. Hyrien earned his PhD in Statistics from the University of Rennes 1 in Rennes, France in 2001. His academic journey has led him to become a prominent figure in biostatistics with a focus on applying advanced statistical methods to complex biological problems.

Dr. Hyrien is a biostatistician who applies advanced technologies such as machine learning and dynamic modeling to address problems in laboratory experiments and clinical studies. His research focuses on statistical methods for flow cytometry, single-cell sequencing and other bioassays. His lab specializes in developing and applying statistical methods, computational tools, and mathematical models to study the immune system and other complex biological systems, such as the microbiome, the hematopoietic system, and the central nervous system, using high-dimensional, high-throughput data. A core focus of his current research is supporting the development of vaccines and passive immunization strategies against diseases caused by pathogens such as the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), malaria, SARS-CoV-2, herpes simplex virus (HSV), as well as treatments against cancer.

One exciting area of Dr. Hyrien's research is the study of the evolution of the B-cell repertoire. Understanding this process involves solving how B cells, through somatic hypermutation (SHM) and clonal selection, adapt to recognize foreign antigens and neutralize pathogens. This work involves using machine learning and statistical tools as well as stochastic processes (e.g., branching processes) to quantify and predict how SHM accumulate over time in the immunoglobulin genes and how these mutations impact the structure and binding properties of the receptors and antibodies produced by B cells.

Dr. Hyrien's recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on HIV vaccine development, statistical methods for bioassays, and immune response modeling. His work spans multiple disciplines including biostatistics, immunology, virology, and computational biology, with particular emphasis on HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies, vaccine efficacy trials, and statistical modeling of biological processes. His research often involves large collaborative efforts across multiple institutions, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of modern biomedical research.

The Hyrien Lab is highly collaborative, working closely with numerous research groups across Fred Hutch and other institutions. Dr. Hyrien's work frequently involves statistical analysis for major vaccine trials, including those for HIV and COVID-19, where his expertise in biostatistics and mathematical modeling contributes significantly to understanding immune responses and vaccine efficacy.