Non-fungible tokens: Stem cell transplantation in the blockchain

The potential use of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in healthcare and medical research

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are cryptographic assets recorded on the blockchain that can certify authenticity and ownership, and they can be used to monetize health data, optimize the process of receiving a hematopoietic stem cell transplant, and improve the distribution of solid organs for transplantation. Blockchain technology, including NFTs, provides equitable access to wealth, increases transparency, eliminates personal or institutional biases of intermediaries, reduces inefficiencies, and ensures accountability. Blockchain architecture is ideal for ensuring security and privacy while granting individuals jurisdiction over their own information, making it a unique solution to the current limitations of existing health information systems. NFTs can be used to give patients the option to monetize their health data and provide valuable data to researchers. Wearable technology companies can also give their customers the option to monetize their data while providing data necessary to improve their products. Additionally, the process of receiving a hematopoietic stem cell transplant and the distribution of solid organs for transplantation could benefit from the integration of NFTs into the allocation process. However, there are limitations to the technology, including high energy consumption and the need for regulatory guidance. Further research is necessary to fully understand the potential of NFTs in healthcare and how it can be integrated with existing health information technology. Overall, NFTs have the potential to revolutionize the healthcare sector, providing benefits such as improved access to health information and increased efficiency in the distribution of organs for transplantation.

Implementation of Blockchain Technology Could Increase Equity and Transparency in Organ Transplantation: A Narrative Review of an Emergent Tool

In the last few years, innovative technology and health care digitalization played a major role in all medical fields and a great effort worldwide to manage this large amount of data, in terms of security and digital privacy has been made by different national health systems. Blockchain technology, a peer-to-peer distributed database without centralized authority, initially applied to Bitcoin protocol, soon gained popularity, thanks to its distributed immutable nature in several non-medical fields. Therefore, the aim of the present review (PROSPERO N° CRD42022316661) is to establish a putative future role of blockchain and distribution ledger technology (DLT) in the organ transplantation field and its role to overcome inequalities. Preoperative assessment of the deceased donor, supranational crossover programs with the international waitlist databases, and reduction of black-market donations and counterfeit drugs are some of the possible applications of DLT, thanks to its distributed, efficient, secure, trackable, and immutable nature to reduce inequalities and discrimination.

Application of Nonfungible Tokens to Health Care. Comment on “Blockchain Technology Projects to Provide Telemedical Services: Systematic Review”

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An Idealized Clinicogenomic Registry to Engage Underrepresented Populations Using Innovative Technology

Current best practices in tumor registries provide a glimpse into a limited time frame over the natural history of disease, usually a narrow window around diagnosis and biopsy. This creates challenges meeting public health and healthcare reimbursement policies that increasingly require robust documentation of long-term clinical trajectories, quality of life, and health economics outcomes. These challenges are amplified for underrepresented minority (URM) and other disadvantaged populations, who tend to view the institution of clinical research with skepticism. Participation gaps leave such populations underrepresented in clinical research and, importantly, in policy decisions about treatment choices and reimbursement, thus further augmenting health, social, and economic disparities. Cloud computing, mobile computing, digital ledgers, tokenization, and artificial intelligence technologies are powerful tools that promise to enhance longitudinal patient engagement across the natural history of disease. These tools also promise to enhance engagement by giving participants agency over their data and addressing a major impediment to research participation. This will only occur if these tools are available for use with all patients. Distributed ledger technologies (specifically blockchain) converge these tools and offer a significant element of trust that can be used to engage URM populations more substantively in clinical research. This is a crucial step toward linking composite cohorts for training and optimization of the artificial intelligence tools for enhancing public health in the future. The parameters of an idealized clinical genomic registry are presented.