Virtual Reality Inspired Drugs (VRID): the Future Arena of Drug Discovery

Abstract

The recent advancements of virtual reality (VR) technologies have paved the way for exciting new avenues in medical research. To date, VR technologies have been used as a training tool for behavioral interventions and for clinical diagnoses. I argue that VR technologies can serve to increase our understanding of disease progression and act as a means to design and test new treatments. To illustrate how virtual reality can aid in the development of drug delivery, I describe eBrain, a virtual reality platform that models drug administration to the brain. eBrain helps to study drug diffusion, uptake, and efficacy in silico. Also, eBrain has identified optimal treatments from a multitude of treatment protocols. I suggest to term the use of virtual reality technologies in the field of drug discovery VRID for Virtual Reality Inspired Drugs. The meaning of the word “VRID” in the Hebrew language is a “vein” , highlighting the potential of the VRID concept to become a vein for novel drug discoveries. eBrain thus serves as a proof of concept for the VRID doctrine and its potential to revolutionize the drug design industry in the long term.