Improve patients’ lives while respecting their privacy and security. Synthetic data can do this, a new frontier of healthcare innovation and at the center of the debate hosted in ‘Casa Novartis’ in the context of the Milan Digital Week. Experts in artificial intelligence (AI), data privacy, research and medical-scientific innovation have highlighted the potential of synthetic data to generate new clinical evidence and encourage the emergence of new diagnostic and therapeutic pathways, ensuring full data protection personal and patient safety. The debate was guided by the presentation of the paper created by Aindo and the Italian Institute for Privacy. The in-depth document – explains a note – focuses on the legal aspects linked to the use of synthetic data and underlines their ability to combine the needs for scientific innovation and usefulness of the data themselves, with the protection of personal data, especially in a sensitive field such as the medical one.
“As a leading company focused on innovation – states Giulia Conti, Head of Innovation, Business Excellence and Mature portfolio of Novartis Italia – we believe we have a strong responsibility in supporting the evolution of the healthcare system through making our skills available and our technological partners to enable a multidisciplinary dialogue that can encourage a real review of patient care and management models, with the ultimate aim of improving their lives and contributing to a more equitable and personalized sustainable healthcare in full respect of their privacy and security”.
Novartis’ commitment will materialize in the coming months with the support of some Italian research centers to concretely apply the potential of synthetic data to clinical research. Through the generation of a data set capable of maintaining the characteristics of the original ones, while respecting the security and privacy of personal information, it will be possible to trace and understand the progress, for example, of some chronic pathologies, such as cardiovascular ones, with the aim of improving treatment pathways. Not only that, synthetic data have the potential to support clinical and diagnostic practice to evolve towards personalization of care, allowing the development and application of advanced technologies.
The scientific paper on the regulatory future of synthetic data investigates the legal aspects linked to their use and their implications in the medical-health context. Specifically, the publication identifies this technology as an effective tool for scientific research, innovation and public policies in the European legal landscape. In addition to providing a technical and legal overview of synthetic data, it analyzes current and future regulations (including the recent AI Act and European Health Data Space). Finally, it suggests interpretations and evolutions of public policies on the subject: the document, in fact, concludes by underlining the importance of European certifications as an effective tool for evaluating privacy improvement technologies.
“Today’s event – underlines Davide Ruffo, Chief Institutional Relations Officer of Aindo – marks the beginning of a new phase in the reflection on technology applied to the generation of clinical evidence and the development of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic methods. Over the past few years, technological advances have profoundly transformed the healthcare industry, particularly through the use of AI to collect, analyze and interpret large amounts of clinical data with precision and speed. In this context, our specific objective is to investigate how synthetic data can be integrated into the healthcare system in an effective, ethical and safe way, while protecting individuals’ privacy. For Aindo, the life sciences sector is of primary importance due to the impact it can generate on society. Since 2024 we have been the first company in Europe to be certified for data protection for processing activities related to the generation of synthetic data in the healthcare sector; this certification specifically recognizes Aindo’s commitment to the healthcare sector to innovate medical and pharmaceutical research thanks to the potential of Artificial Intelligence. The recent recognitions on the use of synthetic data by the Data Protection Authority, together with the fruitful interactions with the relevant regulatory agencies and government departments – he concludes – make us very proud of the degree of technological maturity that is emerging in the system country in this sector”.
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