University of Bedfordshire - Model body wins European cash

An interactive computer model of the human body that could revolutionise healthcare is to be created at the University of Bedfordshire after the European Commission awarded the institution £2 million to fund the project. The model, known as a Virtual Physiological Human, will create a complete picture of the way humans function at all levels. When it is developed, GPs will be able to feed personal data about a patient into the program to provide an individual description of that person and to assist in making a correct diagnosis. Doctors will also be able to indicate the likelihood of a patient developing a serious illness and a potential timescale for this to happen, thereby facilitating early preventive treatment.