MOOC in personalised medicine from UI and the University of Copenhagen

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The University of Iceland and the University of Copenhagen have teamed up to offer a new online course in personalised medicine. There are two things that make this course particularly interesting. One is that the University of Copenhagen has never before been involved in such an extensive online course. The other is that the course focuses on personalised medicine, sometimes called precision medicine, which is a new concept in the healthcare sector. Personalised medicine is the direct opposite of the one-size-fits-all approach to different people with the same disease. With personalised medicine, healthcare is tailored to the individual patient. This is a comparatively novel approach within the healthcare sector.

"The aim is to personalise medicine by considering all the factors that have a data-based link with risk, outcomes or response to treatment, and use that information to choose the best treatment option for each individual at that particular time, thereby avoiding unnecessary treatment, side effects and expense."

So says Sædís Sævarsdóttir, professor of personalised medicine at the University of Iceland Faculty of Medicine, rheumatologist at Landspítali University Hospital and scientist at deCODE genetics. She is also the UI instructor on the course, teaching alongside her counterpart from the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen, Professor Sisse Rye Ostrowski.

The two friends enlisted 33 experts from all the Nordic countries to contribute to this project. The course is in 6 parts, featuring a total of 30 short videos that explore the subject from various angles, containing material such as lectures, interviews and discussions. Students are also provided with further reading in the form of articles and links to helpful websites. DeCODE genetics contributed to the work that went into filming for the course.

Here is a short introductory video about the course.

Personalised medicine is intended to revolutionise healthcare

Sædís explains that the course will initially be offered as an elective course for final year medical students, but will also be used in specialist training and continuing education for healthcare professionals in Denmark and indeed all over the world, since it is free and open to anyone.

"We hope that the course will increase understanding of how personalised medicine can be used to improve healthcare. This is an interdisciplinary subject which has not previously been taught at universities," says Sædís.

"We also hope to establish stronger links between basic research and clinical healthcare. We want people to understand the challenges involved and how collaboration and technological innovation is the key to shaping the future of healthcare. The Nordic countries have so much in common when it comes to social infrastructure, including healthcare systems with detailed digital records, high-quality national databases and biobanks, and ethical and data protection frameworks – all these things must be in place in order to develop and implement personalised medicine.

Sædís says that she hopes the course will also attract interest from research students in the life sciences, law, ethics and other disciplines, "since we focus on understanding an interdisciplinary approach and the opportunities it presents."

The course aligns with the new Strategy of the University, UI26, which places emphasis on international collaboration between universities, information technology, user-centred services, and digitalisation. The course also highlights innovation in the healthcare sector that promotes health economy while at the same time improving the quality of patient care. Participants will therefore learn about a number of areas that are of great significance to our society.

What is personalised medicine?

Sædís explains personalised medicine: "Medicine can be personalised based on various factors – really anything that could be used to predict risk or outcomes. These could include clinical factors, research results including diagnostic imaging, blood protein levels, genetic factors, age, sex, education, job, and lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, diet and other environmental factors."

Sædís explains that the concept of personalised medicine applies to everything from basic research to clinical services and represents a systematic approach to the challenge of bridging the gap between research and clinical practice when knowledge is expanding rapidly. "For this information to be useful in clinical practice, it is necessary to develop prediction models that can be accessed by healthcare professionals and patients on smart devices. The aim is to make information about risk and treatment options accessible, saving both money and time through targeted preventative measures, early diagnosis and optimised treatment. Of course medicine has always involved considering as many different factors as possible when prescribing treatment, but the sheer volume of data these days means we need a new approach."

Attracted positive interest during the pandemic

The decision to create this online course was actually made in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic that has been ongoing for the past two years. "The pandemic has certainly shown us the value of digital learning material, and I and the other creators of this course did this work entirely online. An increasing number of students are accessing learning material online, and it is important that this material is adapted to the situation in Iceland. Fortunately, the Nordic countries are similar in many respects and we have a long tradition in Iceland of pursuing graduate studies in other Nordic countries, so the conditions are ideal for collaboration in this field."

Sædís reports that the pandemic has also sparked public interest in personalised medicine. She explains that people have been following news stories about factors linked to increased risk for infection or serious illness.
"The pandemic has also shown us how smart devices and digital patient records are key to getting the most accurate impression of a situation, where data is collected systematically, in as much detail as possible from as many people as possible."

Data protection is a vital consideration

Sædís also says that research that uses personal data "should be conducted in cooperation with patients, and of course it is absolutely essential to guarantee strong data protection and carefully consider the ethical and legal ramifications at all stages. But you also need to consider that the way to improve treatment is to use data to learn which factors are relevant. A comprehensive approach requires linking different kinds of encrypted data about an individual and converting that data into a compatible format that can be processed."

Sædís explains that it is very important to quality test the data and create variables that can be researched, as well as developing prediction models and testing them before they are used by healthcare professionals.

"This is what the online course is about. We provide many examples of practical applications of personalised medicine in the Nordic countries."

Nordic countries provide ideal conditions for personalised medicine

Sædís explains that in recent years, the Nordic countries have placed emphasis on funding research into personalised medicine, especially internordic collaborations. Reviews have shown that the Nordic countries provide an optimal setting for personalised medicine development and practice and there is enormous potential benefit from the perspective of health economy.

"A strategic planning conference for medical faculties at Nordic universities took place in Copenhagen in February 2020, also attended by representatives of research funds, scientists and politicians, including the Icelandic Minister of Education. The goal was to identify and harness the strengths of the Nordic countries in order to teach, research, develop and implement personalised medicine. One of the things that was lacking was shared learning material about personalised medicine. Engilbert Sigurðsson, professor of psychiatry and then head of the UI Faculty of Medicine, was awarded a grant from the Joint Committee of the Nordic Medical Research Councils, alongside others from the Education Working Group of Nordic Medical Schools, in order to produce an online course together with the University of Copenhagen. The University of Copenhagen has a contract with Coursera, which is one of the world's largest platforms for online higher education courses with over 80 million users."

The course is innovative in many ways; for example, it is the first shared learning material created for medical students in the Nordic countries. "Like all material on Coursera, it is also in English and open to participants from all over the world," says Sædís.

Important for Nordic universities to work together

Sædís believes that it is very important for Nordic universities to join forces, as they have done for this project, and that we have a lot to gain through collaboration.

"Personalised medicine is one of many medical fields that are advancing rapidly. The Nordic countries already collaborate closely in many areas. We are stronger together and there is no reason for us all to independently invent the wheel. We at UI and our colleagues at the University of Copenhagen led the way on creating this course, and at the same time built up a valuable network of experts across the Nordic region. I think we will be able to develop these kinds of courses in many different fields, with UI sometimes taking the lead and sometimes playing a supporting role. There are untold benefits to be gained from developing this learning material, as well as the collaboration itself which could eventually lead to research and professional partnerships."