Prof Marco Viceconti’s research team at the University of Bologna has launched an online Community of Practice where experts from academia, industry, and regulatory agencies can request and exchange advices on the technical details on in silico medicine technologies and their regulatory qualification.
In Silico Medicine technologies are based on the idea of using computer models to predict quantities that are difficult or impossible to measure directly, but that are important to support a medical decision – in the case of choosing the best course of action for that specific patient (Digital Patient technologies) – or to reduce, refine, and partially replace animal/human experimentation required to assess the safety and the efficacy of new medical products (In Silico Trials technologies). Some of these disruptively innovative technologies have now left the research labs and are being translated into commercial products; but there is a series of barriers slowing down the adoption of in silico medicine, one being that this field is yet too young to have established industrial best practices.Â
This creates the need for a safe pre-competitive space where experts and different stakeholders can interact, get advices and share opinions on these sophisticated technologies, that would bring to the development of Good Modelling Practices and, through this, accelerates the adoption of in silico medicine.Â
The solution proposed by Prof Viceconti and his team is the creation of an on line community, called In Silico World, based on the Slack platform, that will allow to manage as many communication channels as necessary, each with its limited access list, its managers, its goals etc.Â
The VPH Institute will offer its collaboration for the implementation of this initiative, supporting the creation of technical webinars, and structured consensus processes aimed to establish some widely accepted Good Modelling Practices, which can then be promoted toward regulators and the editorial boards of scientific journals.Â
The community will be open to groups of people with different backgrounds, ideas and know-hows that are committed to gaining knowledge on a common interest or in achieving shared goals in a collaborative and supporting way.
Joining In Silico World is free, but by invitation only. The access to the Community of Practice and receive any additional information, please contact by email the Community Manager, Roberta De Michele (roberta.demichele2@unibo.it).
We will keep you posted on future developments.Â
