Happy 5th Anniversary to the Avicenna Alliance!
5 years ago, based on the very enlightening Avicenna Roadmap Project Report, the Avicenna Alliance was established at the suggestion of European authorities. The initial goal was to guide authorities towards a safe and cautious, but efficient, adoption of in silico methods. The initial members were a few industrial companies who joined forces with the VPH Institute to tackle this very ambitious goal.
5 years later, many other members have joined the Alliance and we were also honored by two events organized with the European Parliament supported by numerous engagements with MEPs. The Avicenna Alliance is also engaging the global community, including the USA and Asia. For example, we had the privilege to meet with US Senators and Congressmen to discuss the importance of in silico methods. More importantly, the concept of “in silico medicine” is becoming a mainstream idea in the leading regulatory agencies as well as for an increasing number of policy-makers, as illustrated by numerous official publications. Today, decision-makers are regularly approaching the Alliance for guidance and advice before discussing new recommendations and strategies.
But we’re not done yet! While we have reached an encouraging level of awareness, in silico methods are still far from being routinely adopted. Reasons include that the regulations in many regions, including Europe, are not ready for large-scale deployment of computer modeling and simulation, too many companies are still hesitant to widely embrace in silico technology, and a lack of funding for (academic) research.
There is still so much to be done! But considering the increasing number of members, the growing level of influence, and the rising interest of regulators, policy-makers and the public opinion for in silico methods, we are confident that the next 5 years will be truly exciting.
Happy Anniversary to The Avicenna Alliance and keep up the great work!
Thierry Marchal
Secretary General