Our Executive Director, Lies Geris, speaks about the benefits of VPH technologies in an interview for the Atlantic
"...Developing new drugs and treatments is expensive, both in terms of cost as well as time. But a virtual human body could eventually make computerized clinical trials the norm, saving time and money and keeping real human bodies out of harmโs way.
The Virtual Physiological Human (VPH) Institute in Europe is working to create a digital model of the human body for in silico, or computer-based, research and clinical trials. โWe want to use computer models that are based on physiology to provide a tool to clinicians, doctors, and researchers in medicine to provide better health care,โ said Liesbet Geris, executive director of the VPH Institute.
According to Geris, healthcare-related big data makes a holistic view of the human body available to doctors and researchers exploring the best treatment plans for their patients. The benefits of in silico modeling extend beyond the experimental: These types of computer models can also integrate and analyze data on patient treatment and health outcomes to suggest viable treatment options. โVPH-type models can provide a tool to integrate that information,โ Geris said. โThat can suggest things to the clinician and then, of course, itโs up to the clinician with his or her experience and know-how to follow the model and make another therapeutic decision.
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