© 2006 STEP Consortium What is the Virtual Physiological Human? Marco Viceconti Istituti Ortopedici Rizzoli (IT) STEP Scientific Coordinator

© 2006 STEP Consortium What the VPH should be?

© 2006 STEP Consortium Virtual Physiological Human “a shared resource formed by a federation of disparate but integrated computer models of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of the human body in both physiological and pathological conditions”

© 2006 STEP Consortium Virtual Physiological Human A physics-based representation of Physiology A representation that is: –Integrative –Descriptive –Predictive A shared resource formed by federation

© 2006 STEP Consortium Physical Sciences The physical sciences are those disciplines that investigate nature using the scientific method: –Observe a phenomenon –Formulate an hypothesis –Make a prediction –Perform validation experiments

© 2006 STEP Consortium Medicine Vs Physical sciences The practice of medicine involves dealing with physical and metaphysical issues ==> Medicine is art&science Metaphysical approaches to physical issues are motivated only by ignorance

© 2006 STEP Consortium VPH is Physiology! Physiology is the study of the physical (i.e. mechanical, electrical, chemical) functions of living organisms At all dimensional and temporal scales

© 2006 STEP Consortium VPH and integrative Biology What is Integrative Biology? –Integrative biology is the study of biological systems through the integration of multiple scientific disciplines –Integrative biology is the creation of multiscale models –Integrative Biology is the sum of all Omics (genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, physiomics, etc) “OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology” VPH is Integrative Physiobiology? VPH is part of Integrative Biology? VPH includes Integrative Biology?

© 2006 STEP Consortium VPH is Integrative Observations of how the human body works in physiological or pathological conditions are collected at multiple scales, using disparate methodologies, whose interpretation requires the involvement of multiple discipline To understand we subdivide the problem into smaller sub-problems; however, without an integrative vision the relationships between subsystems are lost VPH should provide a framework within which all observations can be organised and properly related one to each other

© 2006 STEP Consortium VPH is descriptive We need repeatable and reliable quantitative observations –To formulate an hypothesis –To confirm an hypothesis This huge data space needs to be properly organised to become an Information Space

© 2006 STEP Consortium VPH is predictive Prediction is the core of the scientific method; an hypothesis without predictive power can hardly be falsifiable Prediction is why VPH is useful for the industry and the clinical practice

© 2006 STEP Consortium VPH is a federated resource Creating the VPH is a huge task that requires an equally huge critical mass in terms of: –Resources –Skills –Effort We can do it only working ALL together The federative models are compromises between individualism and collectivism

© 2006 STEP Consortium Why we need the VPH?

© 2006 STEP Consortium The needs: scientists To account for the “rest of the body” To account for interactions occurring at other scales To reach the critical mass required by observation and validation

© 2006 STEP Consortium The needs: clinicians To cope better with “information overflow” To understand systemic effects To transform more basic science into clinical practice

© 2006 STEP Consortium The needs: Industry To innovate more quickly at lower costs and with lower risk (actual and perceived) for the citizens To move away from the ethical swamp of animal testing To make industrially sustainable the customisation

© 2006 STEP Consortium The needs: Society To transform Europe into a knowledge-based economy To have better Quality of Life, which involves a systemic approach the diseased person To invest tax-payer money in a research grand challenge that has clear and visible impact of the life of the citizen To move doctor-patient relationship around a “conditional trust” model in which the doctor might be called at any time to provide logic and deterministic explanations of what is happening

© 2006 STEP Consortium How should VPH look like?

© 2006 STEP Consortium Use case: Osteporosis

© 2006 STEP Consortium Thank You!