FAQ

The 2025 Undiagnosed Hackathon is taking place at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, USA.

Participants: Participants are individuals living with undiagnosed medical conditions. Participants that are selected for the Undiagnosed Hackathon send blood samples to the event organizers. The samples are tested, and the Undiagnosed Hackathon team examines the data during the event to look for diagnoses.

Collaborators: Collaborators are part of the Undiagnosed Hackathon team. They include (but are not limited to) clinicians, bioinformaticians, molecular biologists, scientists, developers, and AI specialists. Collaborators that are selected to be a part of the team work together during the event to solve complex cases for participants living with undiagnosed medical conditions.

All participation is through application only. We review participant and collaborator applications very carefully and work to give as many people as possible the opportunity to join the Undiagnosed Hackathon.

Participants:
• All interested participants need to apply to be included in the Undiagnosed Hackathon, or have their clinician or parent/guardian apply on their behalf.
• All applicants will be notified regarding the event organizers’ application decision.
• Only participants associated with the collaborating host institution will be invited to attend the event in person with their families. The location and collaborating institution for the Undiagnosed Hackathon changes.
• The Undiagnosed Hackathon team will reach out to applicable participants and their families to invite them to attend in person and coordinate logistics.
• All participants not attending the Undiagnosed Hackathon in person will be kept informed and will receive information after the event regarding results and recommended next steps.

Collaborators:
• All interested collaborators must apply to be a part of the Undiagnosed Hackathon team.
• All applicants will be notified regarding the event organizers’ application decision.
• If selected to be part of the event, collaborators must arrange travel and attend the Undiagnosed Hackathon in person.
• We welcome applicants from a wide range of backgrounds, including clinicians, geneticists, diagnostic/lab specialists, bioinformaticians, data analysts, AI/data scientists, and others. While having a medical or research background is helpful, the purpose of the Undiagnosed Hackathon is to find new ways and collaborations to solve undiagnosed diseases.

Participants:
• There is no cost to be a participant in the Undiagnosed Hackathon. The event organizers will pay for costs associated with sample shipping and testing.
• If invited to attend the event in person, the event organizers will pay for transportation and lodging for the participant and their family.

Collaborators:
• The event is free to attend.
• Meals will be provided by the event organizers.
• Collaborators must pay for their own transportation and lodging. Financial support may be available in limited cases.

To be a participant in the Undiagnosed Hackathon, the first step is completing an online application to provide information about the applicant and ensure that they are eligible to be considered for the event. We recommend that individuals work with their medical providers to complete the participant nomination form.

We are dedicated to finding diagnoses for people living with undiagnosed diseases and we work to include as many individuals as possible in the Undiagnosed Hackathon events. We prioritize individuals who are actively working with medical providers and have already exhausted many options.

The Undiagnosed Hackathon event organizers review applications carefully and will notify all applicants about the final decisions. If an applicant is not selected, we encourage them to apply again for a future Undiagnosed Hackathon.

We prioritize including participants in the Undiagnosed Hackathon that are actively working with a medical provider and have already exhausted many options to find diagnoses. However, the Undiagnosed Hackathon team will consider all applications for the 2025 Undiagnosed Hackathon. Please complete the participant nomination form to nominate an individual for the event.

Participants: The Undiagnosed Hackathon is an in-person event. However, only participants associated with the collaborating host institution will be invited to attend the event with their families. All other participants and their families will be kept informed and will receive information after the event regarding results and recommended next steps.

Collaborators: All selected collaborators must attend the event in person. The Undiagnosed Hackathon is an in-person event to allow for real-time collaboration and networking. However, you may be invited to attend a virtual meeting prior to the event, such as a “Tools Workshop” to review software tools that will be available during the Hackathon.

We are honored to collaborate with different institutions around the globe to host the Undiagnosed Hackathon events. If you know of an institution that would be interested in collaborating with the Wilhelm Foundation to host an Undiagnosed Hackathon, please let us know!

Participants: Please dress comfortably and bring anything that would help your family have a wonderful time together, including medications and other necessities. The event organizers will reach out to you with additional information to help you plan.

Collaborators: Collaborators should bring a laptop, laptop charger, and any reference materials needed. The Undiagnosed Hackathon collaborating host institution will provide access to software tools and all available participant data during the event. Additionally, business casual dress is required.

Participants: Yes! We will provide meals for participants and their families. However, only participants associated with the collaborating host institution will be invited to attend the event with their families. Event organizers will reach out to those families to coordinate logistics.

Collaborators: Yes! We will provide meals and refreshments for the Undiagnosed Hackathon team throughout the event, including breakfasts, lunches, and networking dinners.