Digital vaccines are clinically proven “no injection, no ingestion” vaccines. They are gamified digital applications delivered to patients via smartphones and tablets. Unlike traditional interventions, digital vaccines employ artificial intelligence, neuroscience, psychology, persuasive computing, and behavioral economics.
As a patient gets primary preventive interventions through software programs and apps, the patient is said to have a “digital vaccine”.
From Digital Therapeutics (DTx) to Digital Vaccines
Digital Vaccines is a sub-type of digital therapeutics (DTx). Digital therapeutics are solutions based on software programs tailored to patients’ needs. The high-quality software used in DTx is well-resourced and clinically evidence-based to target particular diseases. These features differentiate DTx apps from other wellness apps.
Digital vaccines nudge the human mind so patients avoid the habits that cause a particular disease. FriendsLearn, an Indian Bio and HealthTech company, was inspired by vaccines and, focusing on prevention, developed the app “FooYa“, which is considered a digital vaccine.
“Fooya”: Α digital vaccine candidate against lifestyle diseases.
Fooya is a commercially available mobile application to prevent pediatric lifestyle diseases like hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and certain cancers. It is tested in various settings, including clinical, consumer, and school, to ensure its safety and effectiveness.
As Fooya is delivered via smartphones, it is no surprise that kids are the primary target. Each child owns a personal avatar to enter the Metaverse, and through neurocognitive training, they learn to avoid the choices that have negative health consequences. Healthy choices reward them with good health and well-being, while poor decisions result in illness.
Exposure to unhealthy food in a controlled and safe environment trains the children’s brains to avoid unhealthy food and adopt and build nutritional habits that prevent lifestyle diseases.
Fooya!D is adapted from Fooya and set for clinical trials to measure the impact of markers on pediatric diabetes management.
FYA-003, still under development, is an infectious disease prevention candidate vaccine for inducing personal and communal hygiene while enhancing immunity against infectious respiratory disease. Unlike Fooya, FYA-003 will also include the adult population.
How will digital vaccines become a mainstream preventive tool against lifestyle diseases?
Collecting users’ sensitive personal data may raise privacy concerns around digital vaccines, and skepticism about data breaches could result in low acceptance. Besides this, digital vaccines are in their initial stage, and their accuracy is not fully recognized yet.
However, continuous comprehensive research and development and a better understanding of the contribution of digital therapeutics to behavioral change could create a concrete base for digital vaccines.
Also, with the growing role of technology in our lives, and the integration of digital vaccines with electronic health records, digital vaccines could find their way into mainstream therapeutics and establish themselves as a preventive measure.
Lastly, establishing governing frameworks for data privacy and ethical guidelines will ease privacy concerns, build trust in digital vaccines, and facilitate their adoption.
In today’s world, where viruses, poor mental health, and metabolic diseases are prevalent, combining digital technology and the latest science brings promise for a healthier lifestyle.
In the future, we see digital vaccines having a strong positive impact on a child’s long-term behavior, and their use can easily be extended to adults as well.
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Sources:
From treatment to prevention: The evolution of digital healthcare (nature.com)
Research – Digital Vaccine Project – Carnegie Mellon University
How AI-aided ‘digital vaccines’ can be a game-changer – The Hindu BusinessLine
India’s ‘digital vaccine’ that prevents real issues through metavere gets patent | MintIndia’s ‘digital vaccine’ that prevents real world health issues through metaverse gets first global patent