What are Drug Interaction Graphs?
The therapeutic efficacy of any drug varies between individuals. A large part of this variability depends on the ‘pharmacokinetics’ of the drug. Pharmacokinetics refers to how the drug is processed in human body through absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME). ADME are patient-related parameters. For example, gender, age, renal function, obesity, even genetics can result in differences in the rate of absorption, volume of distribution, metabolic rate of the drug and the rate of the drug eliminated from the body. The variability in ADME result in differences in drug concentrations and hence affect both the efficacy and toxicity of the drug. The rise and fall of drug concentrations in the circulation can be easily described through mathematical equations, and simulated. The dynamic interplay between chance of benefit and risk of toxicity over time, however, cannot be easily appreciated through static graphs and complex equations. This project models the ‘compressed real-time’ rise and fall of plasma concentrations of a drug following normal multiple oral dosing. It engages the viewer to alter drug pharmacokinetic parameters through adjusting for pharmacogenetics and drug interactions, as well as to make simple dosage adjustments.
What is my role in the project ?
What are novel / interesting about these graphs?
Till this date there are no online simulations of Pharmacokinetics drugs. Medical Textbook contains graphs that are fixed to some parameters. This arise difficult for student to understand more clearly on how drug effects when the dosage parameters are varied to different values(age, gender, rate of absorption, volume of distribution, Clearance, Bioavailability). Each patient has a different set of values. This tools helps student to understand how exactly the drug effect the patient when parameters are configured differently.
Click here to view the Drug Interaction Graphs
How we visualized the risks drawn from these graphs using a LED Mannequin & LED Panels?
Recently, we’ve used these simulations for a dynamic visualization of efficacy-toxicity risks using a LED Mannequin, where the mannequin demonstrates how different body parts are affected while configuring drug parameters. As a result of these endeavors, we won an award at the inaugural Lloyd’s Register Foundation Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk (LRFI) competition. The LRFI Data Visualization Competition aims to develop a better public understanding of the gap between potential and actual risks.
1. Dynamic Visualization of Individualized and Population Efficacy-Toxicity Risks with Programmable LED Mannequin and LED Panels
(PDF Coming Soon)