Professor Andrea Townsend-Nicholson, Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (Department of Structural & Molecular Biology), is involved in an exciting Virtual Human project which aims to create digital doppelgangers.
The scheme, initiated by the CompBioMed consortium led by UCL, is thought to have the potential to revolutionise medicine. In years to come a virtual model of a patient will enable medical staff to prescribe the best treatment that causes the least side effects or seek the best way to carry out a surgery. Additionally, the initiative addresses issues related to the reliability of animal investigation when applied to human beings. Digital representation of a patient is likely to be much more accurate hence reducing the need for animals in drug testing.