The future’s so bright . . .

In a few years you may be forgiven for thinking that the face of healthcare  – of which the pharma sector plays an increasingly significant role – has mutated into an episode of Doctor Who

It was recently reported that researchers at University College London are looking at ways of creating a ‘medical avatar’ that could be used for treatment simulations and to determine the  best course of treatment for patients. Leading the study, Vanessa Diaz, the senior lecturer of bioengineering and prinicipal investigator on the DISCIPLUS project, admits that a fully realised avatar is some way off yet and is a ‘long term vision’. She has also been quoted as saying that while there is still much work to be done, the ‘future of healthcare is digital healthcare.’

Increasingly the role of digital is gaining ground in the life science sector. Within the pharmaceutical sector there have been reports of digital medicine products  - one that has FDA New Drug Application status involving Proteus Digital, and another, a smart capsule that will hopefully be able to assist in the treatment of bowel conditions such as Crohn’s disease.  

What is also interesting is that the UK’s chief pharmaceutical officers (CPOs) have recently said that pharmacy’s future is ‘clinical and digital’. Aimed more at the dispensing pharmacists, this concept is nevertheless interesting and will have impact across the wider pharmaceutical sector as the role of digital becomes an integral part in the way drugs are manufactured, delivered and finally reach the patient.

There is increasing crossover from the digital health sector into the pharma world. Internet footage of biohacker Tim Cannon showed him having a Circadia computer chip implanted in his arm for three months. It communicated internal biometrics, specifically temperature, to his tablet and the aim of the project was to show that digital implants were the future of health-tracking –  he says that when he implants the next version of Circadia, it will send him texts when he's getting sick. If this is the next step in health-tracking and diagnosis then perhaps we are only a few more steps away from having our medication delivered digitally at this point of digital diagnosis. It may well seem like stuff of the Doctor and his assistant but the rate of digital development is becoming so rapid in life sciences that even time travel now seems within the realms of possibility.