scholarly journals Digital Twins: From Personalised Medicine to Precision Public Health

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 745
Author(s):  
Maged N. Kamel Boulos ◽  
Peng Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Personalised Medicine ◽  
Physical Entity ◽  
New Era ◽  
Digital Twin ◽  
Digital Twins ◽  
Industry Sectors ◽  
New Hypothesis ◽  
Radical Transformation

A digital twin is a virtual model of a physical entity, with dynamic, bi-directional links between the physical entity and its corresponding twin in the digital domain. Digital twins are increasingly used today in different industry sectors. Applied to medicine and public health, digital twin technology can drive a much-needed radical transformation of traditional electronic health/medical records (focusing on individuals) and their aggregates (covering populations) to make them ready for a new era of precision (and accuracy) medicine and public health. Digital twins enable learning and discovering new knowledge, new hypothesis generation and testing, and in silico experiments and comparisons. They are poised to play a key role in formulating highly personalised treatments and interventions in the future. This paper provides an overview of the technology’s history and main concepts. A number of application examples of digital twins for personalised medicine, public health, and smart healthy cities are presented, followed by a brief discussion of the key technical and other challenges involved in such applications, including ethical issues that arise when digital twins are applied to model humans.

Mapping the Ethical Issues of Digital Twins for Personalised Healthcare Service (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pei-hua Huang ◽  
Ki-hun Kim ◽  
Maartje Schermer
Keyword(s):  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Personalised Medicine ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Ethical Values ◽  
Ethical Concerns ◽  
Digital Twins ◽  
Research Gap ◽  
Process Oriented ◽  
Personalised Healthcare

BACKGROUND The concept of digital twins has great potential for transforming the existing healthcare system by making it more personalised. As a convergence of healthcare, artificial intelligence, and information and communication technologies, personalised healthcare services developed under the concept of digital twins raise a myriad of ethical issues. While some of the ethical issues are known to researchers working on digital health and personalised medicine, currently there is no comprehensive review that maps major ethical risks of digital twins for personalised healthcare services. OBJECTIVE This paper fills the research gap by identifying major ethical risks of digital twins for personalised healthcare services. We first propose a working definition for digital twins for personalised healthcare services (DTPHS) to facilitate future discussion on the ethical issues related to these emerging digital health services. We then developed a process-oriented ethical map to identify major ethical risks against each of the different data processing phases. METHODS This research aims to address this research gap by providing a comprehensive analysis of major ethical risks of DTPHSs. Due to the scarcity of literature on DTPHSs, we are unable to perform a systematic review of ethical concerns over DTPHSs. Thus, we resort to literature on eHealth, personalised medicine, precision medicine, and information engineering to identify potential issues. We develop a process-oriented ethical map to structure the inquiry in a more systematic way. The ethical map allows us to see how each of the major ethical concerns emerges during the process of transforming raw data into valuable information. RESULTS The process-oriented ethical analysis identified ten operational problems and the relevant ethical values. By structuring the operational problems and relevant ethical values in a clear logical flow, this process-oriented ethical map allows developers of DTPHSs and stakeholders to have a comprehensive overview of major ethical risks while refining the design of DTPHSs. The ethical values section on the map also helps developers of DTPHSs better understand which values they ought to consider while developing solutions for an operational problem they encounter.   CONCLUSIONS It is challenging to address all of the major ethical risks a DTPHS might encounter proactively without a conceptual map at hand. The process-oriented ethical map we propose here can assist developers of DTPHSs in analysing ethical risks in a more systematic manner. CLINICALTRIAL N/A

scholarly journals DIGITAL TWINS - DEFINITIONS, CLASSES AND BUSINESS SCENARIOS FOR DIFFERENT INDUSTRY SECTORS

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 1293-1302
Author(s):  
Fabian Wilking ◽  
Benjamin Schleich ◽  
Sandro Wartzack
Keyword(s):  
Product Portfolio ◽  
Digital Twin ◽  
Digital Twins ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Industry Sectors ◽  
New Industry

AbstractOver the recent years, several attempts were made to define the concept of the Digital Twin and to create a generic view for utilizing it within the industry. Still, many industry sectors are not able to transfer a generic definition into their product portfolio, as Digital Twins differ from each other to the same degree as physical products differ from each other. Hence, it is crucial to enlarge the definition towards a classification and business scenarios which enable sector specific views on the concept of the Digital Twin and help SME to utilize the concept towards their products. Future engineers will have to design physical products besides a digital counterpart and therefore have to identify interdependencies between these two products during the development. This paper discusses a generic definition of a Digital Twin that can be applied throughout different sectors as well as a classification for Digital Twins to enable the implementation of the concept on several maturity levels regarding the constraints of the product portfolio. In addition, these classes are viewed in different business scenarios and an outlook is given to further increase the usability of Digital Twins within new industry sectors.

scholarly journals Systems Architecture Design Pattern Catalog for Developing Digital Twins

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (18) ◽  
pp. 5103
Author(s):  
Bedir Tekinerdogan ◽  
Cor Verdouw
Keyword(s):  
Systems Engineering ◽  
Design Patterns ◽  
Architecture Design ◽  
Physical Entity ◽  
Systems Architecture ◽  
Digital Twin ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Digital Twins ◽  
Agriculture And Food

A digital twin is a digital replica of a physical entity to which it is remotely connected. A digital twin can provide a rich representation of the corresponding physical entity and enables sophisticated control for various purposes. Although the concept of the digital twin is largely known, designing digital twins based systems has not yet been fully explored. In practice, digital twins can be applied in different ways leading to different architectural designs. To guide the architecture design process, we provide a pattern-oriented approach for architecting digital twin-based systems. To this end, we propose a catalog of digital twin architecture design patterns that can be reused in the broad context of systems engineering. The patterns support the various phases in the systems engineering life cycle process, and are described using a well-defined pattern documentation template. For illustrating the application of digital twin patterns, we adopt a multi-case study approach in the agriculture and food domain.

scholarly journals The use of digital twins in healthcare: socio-ethical benefits and socio-ethical risks

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugen Octav Popa ◽  
Mireille van Hilten ◽  
Elsje Oosterkamp ◽  
Marc-Jeroen Bogaardt
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Technologies ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Equal Treatment ◽  
Responsible Innovation ◽  
Quadruple Helix ◽  
Digital Twin ◽  
Industry Research ◽  
Digital Twins ◽  
Desk Research

AbstractAnticipating the ethical impact of emerging technologies is an essential part of responsible innovation. One such emergent technology is the digital twin which we define here as a living replica of a physical system (human or non-human). A digital twin combines various emerging technologies such as AI, Internet of Things, big data and robotics, each component bringing its own socio-ethical issues to the resulting artefacts. The question thus arises which of these socio-ethical themes surface in the process and how they are perceived by stakeholders in the field. In this report we present the results of a qualitative study into the socio-ethical benefits and socio-ethical risks of using digital twins in healthcare. Employing insights from ethics of technology and the Quadruple Helix theory of innovation, we conducted desk research of white literature and 23 interviews with representatives from the four helixes: industry, research, policy and civil society. The ethical scan revealed several important areas where the digital twin can produce socio-ethical value (e.g., prevention and treatment of disease, cost reduction, patient autonomy and freedom, equal treatment) but also several important areas of socio-ethical risks (e.g., privacy and property of data, disruption of existing societal structures, inequality and injustice). We conclude with a reflection on the employed analytical tool and suggestions for further research.

Socio-demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Patient with Thyroid Cancer

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-58
Author(s):  
AKM Farhad Hossain ◽  
Md Mahmudur Rahman Siddiqui ◽  
Sayada Fatema Khatun
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Thyroid Cancer ◽  
Clinical Characteristics ◽  
Family Income ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Endocrine System ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Follicular Carcinoma ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Cross Sectional

Background: Thyroid cancer is the most common malignant disease in endocrine system. It is an emerging public health issue associated with burden on the family, community and the nation. The aim of this study is to determine the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of patient with thyroid cancer attending in tertiary hospital. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted among 246 thyroid cancer patients in two tertiary hospitals of Dhaka city from 01 July 2018 to 30 June 2019. The subjects were selected purposively following specific selection criteria and maintaining ethical issues. Data were collected by face to face interview using a semi-structured questionnaire and checklist. Data were analyzed by the statistical package for the social science (SPSS) version 23. Results: This study revealed that majority (74.4%) of respondents was female, married (72%), housewife (61.4%), rural respondent (41.1%) and had primary education (69%). Mean (± SD) age of the respondent was 37.85(±12.20) years (Range 14-70 years) and mean (± SD) monthly family income was Tk. 17681(±10602). Out of 246 cases, 204 (82.9%) was papillary and 42 (17.1%) was follicular carcinoma. Various clinical presentations included visible neck swelling in 225 (91.5%), swollen lymph node in 103 (41.9%), pain 90 (36.6%), Difficulties in swallowing 87 (35.4%), Hoarseness of voice in 141 (57.3%), cough along with swelling 47(19.1%), Difficulties in breathing due to swelling in 13(5.3%) of the patients. Conclusion: Incidence of thyroid cancer has increased worldwide specially in female patients in 3rd and 4th decades of life. As thyroid cancer is a growing public health problem in Bangladesh, proper screening and early diagnostic facilities at all level should be available to measure its actual burden in the country. Anwer Khan Modern Medical College Journal Vol. 11, No. 1: Jan 2020, P 54-58

Editor’s Pick: Regulatory and Ethical Issues in the New Era of Radiomics and Radiogenomics

EMJ Radiology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Filippo Pesapane
Keyword(s):  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Medical Images ◽  
Practical Significance ◽  
Innovative Technology ◽  
New Era ◽  
Naked Eye ◽  
Disease Characteristics ◽  
The Future ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Relationship

Radiomics is a science that investigates a large number of features from medical images using data-characterisation algorithms, with the aim to analyse disease characteristics that are indistinguishable to the naked eye. Radiogenomics attempts to establish and examine the relationship between tumour genomic characteristics and their radiologic appearance. Although there is certainly a lot to learn from these relationships, one could ask the question: what is the practical significance of radiogenomic discoveries? This increasing interest in such applications inevitably raises numerous legal and ethical questions. In an environment such as the technology field, which changes quickly and unpredictably, regulations need to be timely in order to be relevant.  In this paper, issues that must be solved to make the future applications of this innovative technology safe and useful are analysed.

Pandemic Disease, Public Health, and Ethics

2019 ◽  
pp. 796-811 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maxwell Smith ◽  
Ross Upshur
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Pandemic Preparedness ◽  
Scarce Resources ◽  
Ethical Frameworks ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
The Face ◽  
Conducting Research

Infectious disease pandemics raise significant and novel ethical challenges to the organization and practice of public health. This chapter provides an overview of the salient ethical issues involved in preparing for and responding to pandemic disease, including those arising from deploying restrictive public health measures to contain and curb the spread of disease (e.g., isolation and quarantine), setting priorities for the allocation of scarce resources, health care workers’ duty to care in the face of heightened risk of infection, conducting research during pandemics, and the global governance of preventing and responding to pandemic disease. It also outlines ethical guidance from prominent ethical frameworks that have been developed to address these ethical issues and concludes by discussing some pressing challenges that must be addressed if ethical reflection is to make a meaningful difference in pandemic preparedness and response.

Biosecurity and Public Health Ethics Issues Raised by Biological Threats

2019 ◽  
pp. 773-785
Author(s):  
Nicholas Evans ◽  
Thomas Inglesby
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Resource Allocation ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Biological Weapon ◽  
Ethical Values ◽  
Dual Use ◽  
Health Concerns ◽  
Trade Offs

This chapter introduces ethical issues that arise in the context of biosecurity: policies and actions intended to prevent the development or emergence, or mitigate the consequences, of serious biological threats. These threats could include deliberate biological weapon attacks (bioterrorism), pandemics, emerging infectious diseases, or major laboratory accidents. The basic values that underpin these public health concerns are first introduced. Ethical issues that arise before, during, and following a biosecurity crisis are then examined, including issues of resource allocation, dual-use research, and the possibility of quarantine. Their resolution requires trade-offs among different ethical values, including utility, fairness, and liberty.

An Overview of Ethics and Environmental Health

2019 ◽  
pp. 697-703
Author(s):  
David B. Resnik
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Environmental Health ◽  
Environmental Ethics ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Biomedical Ethics ◽  
Public Health Ethics ◽  
Social Utility ◽  
Toxic Substances ◽  
Health Ethics ◽  
Wide Range

This chapter provides an overview of the ethics of environmental health, and it introduces five chapters in the related section of The Oxford Handbook of Public Health Ethics. A wide range of ethical issues arises in managing the relationship between human health and the environment, including regulation of toxic substances, air and water pollution, waste management, agriculture, the built environment, occupational health, energy production and use, environmental justice, population control, and climate change. The values at stake in environmental health ethics include those usually mentioned in ethical debates in biomedicine and public health, such as autonomy, social utility, and justice, as well as values that address environmental concerns, such as animal welfare, stewardship of biological resources, and sustainability. Environmental health ethics, therefore, stands at the crossroads of several disciplines, including public health ethics, environmental ethics, biomedical ethics, and business ethics.

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