Membrane 3 fosters connection and collaboration
On October 13-17, 2025 we had the incredible privilege of co-hosting the third edition of Membrane on Necker Island alongside Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Unite. This intimate gathering brought together around 40 extraordinary minds across health, medicine, philanthropy, technology, and business to explore the breakthroughs shaping our collective future.
The spirit of Membrane remains what inspired its name. Just as a cell membrane enables organelles to collaborate and create life, this gathering fosters the kind of cross-disciplinary connection where bold ideas become real-world impact.
This yearโs conversations were among the most powerful weโve ever had:
๐๐๐ฒ ๐ โ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ ๐, ๐๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐๐ฌ & ๐๐๐ข๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ค๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ฌ
A remarkable opening talk by Tyler Shultz (Theranos whistleblower) and Garry Nolan centered on courage, integrity, and the tough questions that drive transformative discovery.
๐๐๐ฒ ๐ โ ๐๐ฑ๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐ง, ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ-๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ & ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐๐ซ
Eric Topol, MD led a profound discussion on extending human healthspan and the major scientific advances enabling it. Laura Earnshaw shared the mental-health framework she has deployed for children across the UK. The Microsoft team โ led by Peter Lee with Christopher Bishop & Ece Kamar โ walked us through the latest progress in LLMs and AI, and how these technologies are redefining the practice of science and medicine.
๐๐๐ฒ ๐ โ ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ, ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ & ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก
Jim Allison and Pam Sharma returned to share the extraordinary story behind the immunotherapy revolution that led to the Nobel Prize, along with new advances toward curing cancer. We were also humbled by Larry Brilliant, who reflected on his role in the global campaign to eradicate smallpox โ one of humanityโs greatest public-health achievements.
We also had great discussions led by Junaid Bajwa, who convened an exceptional panel with Dr. Geeta Nayyar, MD, MBA, Armen Mkrtchyan and Richard (Chip) Davis to explore the future of AI in healthcare โ from clinical decision-making to system-wide transformation. Ron DePinho MD also shared his perspective on the future state of aging & longevity, and the therapeutic breakthroughs that could meaningfully extend life.
Beyond the conversations, our evenings brought their own magic: from a futurist-themed night to Great Gatsby evening filled with creativity, joy, and connection.
A huge thank you to Sir Richard for opening his home, and to the incredible Virgin Unite team โ Sheetal Vyas, Hollie Stanton, Sally Fernandes and Luke Hanns for their partnership.
We look forward to continuing the work - pushing boundaries, asking the hard questions, and building a healthier, more equitable world.