Pharmacy customers expect fast service—quick delivery of a prescription or over-the-counter drug in just a few minutes. In this rapid interaction, little attention is paid to the path of this drug from a microscope slide to mass production.
In fact, the process of drug discovery is incredibly time-consuming and requires research. Despite significant progress in manufacturing and discovery, the average time to bring a drug to market from the initial stage is 10-15 years and costs millions of dollars.
New technologies are transforming healthcare and drug discovery. Artificial intelligence, for example, does the dirty work of drug discovery by running simulations of drug efficacy instead of timely trial and error trials. Blockchain secures medical records and connects patients to new clinical trials. AR and VR tools help patients overcome phobias and fears during treatment. AI will help future drugs get to market (some say it could be shortened to five years!), delivering life-changing results for disease sufferers around the world.
The biggest obstacle to these changes and the spread of this technology? Us patients. We all need to understand the power and promise of these technologies and pursue them – or at least not be afraid of them.
Support for AI and blockchain in healthcare
There is a popular image on social media that reads: “AI will not replace jobs. People using AI will replace people’s jobs.” With an easy-to-use interface, ChatGPT shows people what AI can look like in our daily lives. One thing you probably can’t ask a chatbot for? A new compound for a pill against deadly diseases. And this is good, because AI applications in medicine should be managed by professionals.
These professionals have been aware of the power of AI for years, working behind the scenes to develop real-life use cases. Insilico Medicine drew attention to its knowledge by announcing its laboratory of robotics “sixth generation” at the beginning of January. Sixth-generation status means the lab is fully automated, with robotics and AI algorithms performing target detection, compound screening, precision medicine development, and translational research.
You might be wondering what full automation means for scientists who have previously done this work at Insilico? This is exactly what I mentioned earlier: by integrating technology and speeding up processes, researchers can focus on the “human” side of their work. They can focus on critical tasks like developing clinical trials and studying side effects because they know the technology can handle the rest. Ask anyone in biotechnology: AI is now the basis for drug discovery,
Insilico Medicine, based on artificial intelligence, is familiar with this new technology. In 2019, the company partnered with startup Longenesis and a South Korean medical center to create a blockchain-based medical data management tool. They have developed a platform to protect patient information and comply with guidelines such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Patients may have been aware of the existence of these guidelines, but did not understand how to effectively manage their data. On the contrary, blockchain technology brings these rules to life, allowing patients to manage their privacy and control their data. This is where the future of medical technology is at the fingertips of patients.
Calling All Patients: Transforming Healthcare in Your Hands
One important takeaway from COVID-19 was how the crisis catalyzes breakthroughs. Faced with a common threat, scientific cooperation has become not just a pleasant initiative, but a harsh requirement. The results were amazing and historic. Scientists around the world have used existing research to develop a vaccine in just a year, much faster than the usual 5-10 year vaccine development timeline.
Breakthroughs continued after the spread of the vaccine. Today, scientists are using mRNA technology used in COVID vaccines to develop new vaccines. Their goals? Devastating and difficult-to-treat diseases such as colorectal cancer and Lyme disease. AI and other technologies will help accelerate this process and drive innovation forward, helping researchers change (and save) lives.
2020 has also taught us that public health matters to everyone. The onslaught of COVID brought concepts like mRNA and cytokine storms into everyday life as people tuned in to news and scientific publications to keep up to date. This trend must be continued. We have a responsibility to keep learning about health breakthroughs as they have an immeasurable impact on us. I can’t emphasize enough: to reap the benefits of the future of medicine, you need to keep an open mind.
I fully believe that the crypto community will take this to heart. We have seen how the technology behind Bitcoin is redefining the world of digital art with NFTs. We’ve seen how DAOs are changing the way teams manage projects. We have raised money for the most important causes in the world using decentralized technology. Now it’s time to explore the next frontier of health. Scientists are building a future where AI-discovered drugs, virtual encounters, and psychedelic treatments for mental illness will become the norm. Are you ready to be a part of it?
The scientific community has already come together to conduct research that will change people’s lives, and it’s time for us to come together again in support of a more digital future of healthcare. I encourage you to donate to research organizations, understand medical technology, and explore what artificial intelligence and personalized medicine can mean for your personal care. Resources are available online, and joining communities like nonprofits, DAOs, and Discord chats is a great place to start. In conclusion: technology can and will change our health. We must bring this transformation to life.
Credit : cointelegraph.com
