Artificial intelligence, robots and blockchain deliver next-generation healthcare today
Pharmacy visitors expect fast service – to have their prescription filled quickly, or an over-the-counter remedy purchased in just a few minutes. In this rapid interaction, little thought goes into the journey of that medicine from a slide to mass production.
In reality, the drug discovery process is incredibly time- and research-intensive. Despite significant advances in manufacturing and discovery, the average time to bring a drug from the first phase to market 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 the drug’s effectiveness instead of timely trial-and-error testing. Blockchain secures health records and connects patients with new clinical trials. AR and VR tools help patients overcome phobias and fears during medical treatments. AI will help future medicines reach the market (some believe this could be reduced to just five years!), providing life-changing results for sufferers worldwide.
The biggest obstacle to achieving these changes and this technology becoming mainstream? Us, the patients. We all need to understand the power and promise of these technologies and push for them—or at least not fear them.
Supports AI and blockchain in the healthcare sector
There is a popular image on social media that reads: “AI will not replace jobs. People using AI will replace people’s jobs.” With its user-friendly interface, ChatGPT shows people what AI can look like in our everyday lives. One thing you probably can’t ask the chatbot about? A new compound for a pill to cure deadly diseases. And that’s good because AI applications in medicine should be managed by professionals.
These professionals have known about the power of AI for years, working behind the scenes to develop real use cases. Insilico Medicine brought its know-how into the spotlight when it announced its “sixth generation” robotics lab in early January. Sixth generation status means the lab is fully automated, with robotics and AI algorithms performing target discovery, compound screening, precision medicine development and translational research.
You may be wondering, what does fully automated mean to the researchers who previously did these jobs at Insilico? It’s exactly as the image I mentioned earlier suggests: by integrating technology and speeding up processes, researchers can focus on the “human” side of their work. They are free to focus on critical tasks such as clinical trial development and side effect studies because they know the technology will handle the rest. Ask anyone in biotechnology: AI is now the foundation of drug discovery,
AI-native Insilico Medicine is no stranger to this new technology. In 2019, the company partnered with clinical trial startup Longenesis and a South Korean medical center to create a blockchain-powered health data management tool. They developed the platform to protect patient information and comply with policies such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Patients may have known these policies existed, but they did not understand how to manage their data effectively. In contrast, blockchain technology brings these regulations to life, empowering patients to manage their privacy and monitor their data. This is where the future of healthcare technology lies, at patients’ fingertips.
Calling all patients: The healthcare transformation is in your hands
One of the lasting takeaways from COVID-19 was how crisis catalyzes breakthroughs. When faced with a common threat, scientific cooperation was not just a feel-good initiative – it was a serious mandate. The results were astounding and historic. Scientists from around the world used existing research to produce a vaccine in just one year, remarkably faster than the typical 5-10 year vaccine development timeline.
The breakthroughs continued after vaccine distribution. Scientists today are using the mRNA technology used in COVID jabs to develop new vaccines. Their goals? Devastating and difficult to treat diseases such as colon cancer and Lyme. AI and other technologies will help accelerate this process and drive this innovation forward, supporting scientists to change (and save) lives.
2020 also taught us that public health is important for everyone. The onslaught of COVID brought terms like mRNA and cytokine storms into daily life as people tuned in to news reports and scientific publications to stay informed. This trend must continue. We have a responsibility to stay informed about breakthroughs in the healthcare system as they affect us infinitely. I can’t stress this enough: To take advantage of the future of medicine, you need to keep an open mind.
I have full faith that the crypto community will take this to heart. We’ve seen the technology behind Bitcoin redefine the digital art world with NFTs. We’ve seen DAOs reinvent how teams manage projects. We have raised money for the world’s most important causes using decentralized technology. Now is the time for us to explore the next health frontier. Researchers are building a future where AI-discovered drugs, virtual appointments and psychedelic mental health treatments will be the norm. Are you ready to be a part of it?
The scientific community came together before to deliver life-changing research, and it’s time for us to come together again to support a more digital future for health. I encourage you to donate to research organizations, get smart about health 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 get started. In conclusion: technology can and will transform our health. It is up to us to bring this transformation to life.
