Do you know what “tool compound”, “target expression” or “IC50” means? If not, that’s ok, when I started Benevolent as a Product Designer, I didn’t know either. That’s why I work with expert users: our drug discoverers. ‍ They help with understanding the domain and, more importantly, they help to shape digital product requirements. At Benevolent, all of our products are co-created through close collaboration between technologists and scientists. Why? Because it is impossible to design a good product without knowing and understanding your users’ needs. As…

Precision medicine promises to provide better matches between treatments and groups of patients who have a disease and who show a set of specific traits. Better matches help ensure that a drug would be given to those who would benefit most and not be given to those who would either…

Sex differences have historically been neglected in clinical research, design and practice. To mark International Women’s Day, we explored how this ‘one size fits all’ approach to medical research and treatment impacts women’s health. Men and women are different in several ways in terms of their biological makeup, and it has been long known that the expression of genes on X and Y chromosomes have a profound effect on health and well-being. Difference in sex not only contributes to the physiological and anatomical variations…

It is well documented that the lack of representation in biomedical research is leading to a data gap that can no longer be overlooked if we are to avoid exacerbating existing health inequalities in the age of digital health. Advances in machine learning (ML) techniques are allowing the scientific community to unlock the potential of biomedical data and extract valuable insights. Yet amidst the hope sits a certain uncomfortable reality: not everyone is set to benefit from these advances. At the heart of innovation in healthcare lies the datasets…

At BenevolentAI we believe that unconventional thinking combined with purposeful technology can lead to innovation that can truly change the world. However, like all fast-growth companies, we face the challenge of balancing the need to build and scale quality products while also finding time to explore radical new ideas. We rose to the challenge the Benevolent way by creating Break-Out Week, a whole week dedicated to creativity and testing new ideas.

In September I had the honour of sharing the stage at The Crick Institute with fellow EDIS (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Science and Health) representatives to discuss inclusive research and experimental design. I used this platform to advocate for the importance of including a more diverse population in research and the potential benefits of artificial intelligence in enabling this. Mind the gap: the diversity issue in medical research