We examine the current sex and gender gaps in a subset of biomedical technologies used in relation to Precision Medicine. In addition, we provide recommendations to optimize their utilization to improve the global health and disease landscape and decrease inequalities.

The study, promoted by the non-profit organization The Women’s Brain Project and supported by the Bioinfo4Women programme at the BSC, has been published today in Nature Digital Medicine.

The application of artificial intelligence (AI) to the biomedical sector is leading us to a better understanding of human diseases, facilitating their prevention, diagnosis, personalised treatments and, in general, precision medicine.

The success of precision medicine largely depends on overcoming a number of challenges, many of which are inherently related to the responsible use of AI in research and healthcare. To meet these ambitious objectives, it is essential to account for the risks of neglecting differences among individuals that reflect the clinical characteristics of diseases and drugs response, such as sex and gender differences.

The researchers involved in this analysis warn about the need for the community in its entirety, including governments and policy makers, to become involved in addressing the ethical issues associated with each stage of the technological development for health.