The Virtual Physiological Human (VPH) is a European initiative that focuses on a methodological and technological framework that, once established, will enable collaborative investigation of the human body as a single

complex system A complex system is a system composed of many components that may interact with one another. Examples of complex systems are Earth's global climate, organisms, the human brain, infrastructure such as power grid, transportation or communication sy ...

. The collective framework will make it possible to share resources and observations formed by institutions and organizations, creating disparate but integrated

computer models Computer simulation is the running of a mathematical model on a computer, the model being designed to represent the behaviour of, or the outcome of, a real-world or physical system. The reliability of some mathematical models can be determin ...

of the mechanical, physical and

biochemical Biochemistry, or biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology, ...

functions of a living human body. VPH is a framework which aims to be descriptive, integrative and predictive.STEP research road map
Clapworthy ''et al.'' state that the framework should be descriptive by allowing laboratory and healthcare observations around the world "to be collected, catalogued, organized, shared and combined in any possible way." It should be integrative by enabling those observations to be collaboratively analyzed by related professionals in order to create "systemic hypotheses." Finally, it should be

predictive A prediction (Latin ''præ-'', "before," and ''dictum'', "something said") or forecast is a statement about a future event or about future data. Predictions are often, but not always, based upon experience or knowledge of forecasters. There i ...

by encouraging interconnections between extensible and scalable predictive models and "systemic networks that solidify those systemic hypotheses" while allowing observational comparison. The framework is formed by large collections of

anatomical Anatomy () is the branch of morphology concerned with the study of the internal structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old scien ...

physiological Physiology (; ) is the science, scientific study of function (biology), functions and mechanism (biology), mechanisms in a life, living system. As a branches of science, subdiscipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ syst ...

, and

pathological Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...

data stored in digital format, typically by predictive simulations developed from these collections and by services intended to support researchers in the creation and maintenance of these models, as well as in the creation of end-user technologies to be used in the clinical practice. VPH models aim to integrate physiological processes across different length and time scales (multi-scale modelling). These models make possible the combination of patient-specific data with population-based representations. The objective is to develop a systemic approach which avoids a

reductionist Reductionism is any of several related philosophical ideas regarding the associations between phenomena which can be described in terms of simpler or more fundamental phenomena. It is also described as an intellectual and philosophical posit ...

approach and seeks not to subdivide biological systems in any particular way by dimensional scale (body, organ, tissue, cells, molecules), by

scientific discipline The branches of science, also referred to as sciences, scientific fields or scientific disciplines, are commonly divided into three major groups: * Formal sciences: the study of formal systems, such as those under the branches of logic and mat ...

(

biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

physiology Physiology (; ) is the science, scientific study of function (biology), functions and mechanism (biology), mechanisms in a life, living system. As a branches of science, subdiscipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ syst ...

biophysics Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that applies approaches and methods traditionally used in physics to study biological phenomena. Biophysics covers all scales of biological organization, from molecular to organismic and populations ...

biochemistry Biochemistry, or biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology, a ...

molecular biology Molecular biology is a branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecule, molecular basis of biological activity in and between Cell (biology), cells, including biomolecule, biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactio ...

bioengineering Biological engineering or bioengineering is the application of principles of biology and the tools of engineering to create usable, tangible, economically viable products. Biological engineering employs knowledge and expertise from a number ...

) or anatomical sub-system (

cardiovascular In vertebrates, the circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the body. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, that consists of the heart a ...

, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, etc.).

History

The initial concepts that led to the Virtual Physiological Human initiative came from the

IUPS Physiome Project The physiome of an individual's or species' physiological state is the description of its functional behavior. The physiome describes the physiological dynamics of the normal intact organism and is built upon information and structure (genome, prot ...

. The project was started in 1997 and represented the first worldwide effort to define the

physiome The physiome of an individual's or species' physiological state is the description of its functional behavior. The physiome describes the physiological dynamics of the normal intact organism and is built upon information and structure (genome, prot ...

through the development of databases and models which facilitated the understanding of the integrative function of cells, organs, and organisms. The project focused on compiling and providing a central repository of databases that would link experimental information and computational models from many laboratories into a single, self-consistent framework. Following the launch of the Physiome Project, there were many other worldwide initiatives of loosely coupled actions all focusing on the development of methods for modelling and simulation of human pathophysiology. In 2005, an expert workshop of the Physiome was held as part of the Functional Imaging and Modelling of the Heart Conference in Barcelona where a white paper entitled ''Towards Virtual Physiological Human: Multilevel modelling and simulation of the human anatomy and physiology'' was presented. The goal of this paper was to shape a clear overview of on-going relevant VPH activities, to build a consensus on how they can be complemented by new initiatives for researchers in the EU and to identify possible mid-term and long term research challenges. In 2006, the European Commission funded a coordination and support action entitled ''STEP: Structuring The EuroPhysiome''. The STEP consortium promoted a significant consensus process that involved more than 300 stakeholders including researchers, industry experts, policy makers, clinicians, etc. The prime result of this process was a booklet entitled ''Seeding the EuroPhysiome: A Roadmap to the Virtual Physiological Human''. The STEP action and the resulting research roadmap were instrumental in the development of the VHP concept and in the initiation of much larger process that involves significant research funding, large collaborative projects, and a number of connected initiatives, not only in Europe but also in the United States, Japan, and China. VPH now forms a core target of the 7th Framework Programme of the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

, and aims to support the development of patient-specific computer models and their application in personalised and predictive healthcare. The Virtual Physiological Human Network of Excellence (VPH NoE) aims to connect the various VPH projects within the 7th Framework Programme.

Goals of the initiative

VPH-related projects have received substantial funding from the European Commission in order to further scientific progress in this area. The European Commission is insistent that VPH-related projects demonstrate strong industrial participation and clearly indicate a route from basic science into clinical practice. In the future, it is hoped that the VPH will eventually lead to a better healthcare system which aims to produce the following benefits: * personalized care solutions * reduced need for experiments on animals * more holistic approaches to medicine * preventative approaches to treatment of disease Personalized care solutions are a key aim of the VPH, with new modelling environments for predictive, individualized healthcare to result in better patient safety and drug efficacy. It is anticipated that the VPH could also result in healthcare improvement through greater understanding of pathophysiological processes. The use of biomedical data from a patient to simulate potential treatments and outcomes could prevent the patient from experiencing unnecessary or ineffective treatments. The use of in silico (by computer simulation) modelling and testing of drugs could also reduce the need for experiments on animals. A future goal is that there also will be a more holistic approach to medicine with the body treated as a single multi-organ system rather than as a collection of individual organs. Advanced integrative tools should further help to improve the European healthcare system on a number of different levels that include diagnosis, treatment and care of patients and in particular quality of life.

Projects

ImmunoGrid

ImmunoGrid is a project funded by the EU under Framework 6, to model and simulate the human

immune system The immune system is a network of biological systems that protects an organism from diseases. It detects and responds to a wide variety of pathogens, from viruses to bacteria, as well as Tumor immunology, cancer cells, Parasitic worm, parasitic ...

using

grid computing Grid computing is the use of widely distributed computer resources to reach a common goal. A computing grid can be thought of as a distributed system with non-interactive workloads that involve many files. Grid computing is distinguished fro ...

at different physiological levels.

Osteoporotic Virtual Physiological Human

VPHOP (Osteoporotic Virtual Physiological Human) is a

European European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...

Osteoporosis Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disorder characterized by low bone mass, micro-architectural deterioration of bone tissue leading to more porous bone, and consequent increase in Bone fracture, fracture risk. It is the most common reason f ...

research project within the framework of the Virtual Physiological Human initiative. With current technology, osteoporotic fractures can be predicted with an accuracy of less than 70%. Better ways to prevent and diagnose osteoporotic fractures are needed. Current fracture predictions are based on history and examination on the basis of which key factors are identified which contribute to the increased probability of an osteoporotic fracture. This approach oversimplifies the mechanisms leading to an osteoporotic fracture and fail to take into account numerous hierarchical factors which are unique to the individual. These factors range from cell-level to body-level functions. Musculoskeletal anatomy and neuromotor control define the daily loading spectrum, including paraphysiological overloading events. Fracture events occur at the organ level and are influenced by the elasticity and geometry of bone elasticity and geometry are determined by tissue

morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines *Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts *Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...

. Cell activity changes tissue morphology and composition over time. Constituents of the

extracellular matrix In biology, the extracellular matrix (ECM), also called intercellular matrix (ICM), is a network consisting of extracellular macromolecules and minerals, such as collagen, enzymes, glycoproteins and hydroxyapatite that provide structural and bio ...

are the prime determinants of tissue strength. Accuracy could be dramatically improved if a more

deterministic Determinism is the metaphysical view that all events within the universe (or multiverse) can occur only in one possible way. Deterministic theories throughout the history of philosophy have developed from diverse and sometimes overlapping mo ...

approach was used that accounts for those factors and their variation between individuals. The goal of the Osteoporotic Virtual Physiological Human is to improve the accuracy of these osteoporotic fracture prediction algorithms.

References

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Bibliography

*Clapworthy, G., Kohl, P., Gregerson, H., Thomas, S., Viceconti, M., Hose, D., Pinney, D., Fenner, J., McCormack, K., Lawford, P., Van Sint Jan, S., Waters, S., & Coveney, P. 2007, "Digital Human Modelling: A Global Vision and a European Perspective," In Digital Human Modelling: A Global Vision and a European Perspective, Berlin: Springer, pp. 549–558. *Hunter, P.J. 2006. Modeling living systems: the IUPS/EMBS Physiome project. Proceedings IEEE, 94, 678-991 *Viceconti, M., Testi, D., Taddei, F., Martelli, S., Clapworthy, G. J., Van Sint Jan, S., 2006. Biomechanics Modeling of the Musculoskeletal Apparatus: Status and Key Issues. Proceedings of the IEEE 94(4), 725-739.

External links

VPH Institute
Anatomical simulation Health informatics Pathology Physiology