In silico Clinical Trials: A New Dawn in Biomedical Research?

Abstract

Nowadays, scientific knowledge seems to be increasingly generated using technological methods, but also governed by technological demands and conducted by new technical ways of learning. In this paper I will analyze an effective example of this new trend in biomedical research: the Avicenna project and its “roadmap for  clinical trials”. My aim is to understand what philosophical issues it arises and whether and to what extent this document provides effective responses and solutions to make its innovative challenges a concrete reality.