FAU researchers develop ethical guidelines for GeGe4Nephro
In order to allow doctors to assess the individual risk of complications following a kidney transplant, researchers in the GeGe4Nephro research project are working to develop an AI-assisted prognostic model. The Chair of Systematic Theology II (Ethics) at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) is responsible for ensuring that ethical considerations are taken into account. The Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) is providing 1.5 million euros for an initial funding period of three years within the framework of the funding guidelines “Interactive technologies for gender-specific health” (GeGe).
In Germany, approximately 100,000 people have chronic kidney disease which means that they are dependent on regular dialysis and may require an organ transplant in future. Even if a transplant is successful, patients still have to be monitored closely due to the potential risk of complications. In addition, transplant recipients have a greater risk of contracting cancer than those who have not had a transplant.
The prognostic model developed by GeGe4Nephro should help doctors to make a more accurate prediction of the probability of such risks and the need for personalized prevention measures, such as skin cancer screening. The research team is developing an interactive demo, in other words an early, usable version of the AI-assisted prognostic model that is being tested in clinical practice. The researchers will incorporate the feedback they receive during this test phase directly into the continued development of the system, before integrating it into routine patient care.
Gender-specific differences in diagnosis, therapy and aftercare
One important aspect of the research project is to take gender-specific differences into account in diagnosis, therapy and aftercare. Women, for instance, have up to a 20 percent lower chance of being placed on the waiting list for a kidney donation despite having a comparable or better prognosis following a transplant compared to men.
The team from the Chair of Systematic Theology II (Ethics) at FAU is considering the question of how AI prognostic models can be designed to be fair, gender-neutral and responsible. “A prognostic model that quantifies the gender-specific risks after a kidney transplant has a direct influence on clinical decisions. It is therefore all the more important that we have reliable ethical guide rails: How can we ensure that AI recommendations really do pay justice to the patients’ circumstances and needs? And how can we prevent gender-specific bias from influencing the model unintentionally? We must consider questions such as these if we are to succeed in developing an instrument that is effective from a medical point of view and that also makes a contribution towards fairer patient care,” explains Max Tretter.
The aim is to develop guidelines on the basis of hermeneutic, empirical and normative research to ensure that ethical considerations are incorporated into the technical development and clinical application of the system from the outset, following the principles of “embedded ethics” in which ethical expertise is incorporated continually into development processes. GeGe4Nephro hopes to create an innovative tool for gender-sensitive, data-based medicine that will have a lasting effect on optimizing aftercare for kidney transplant patients.
About GeGe4Nephro
As well as researchers from FAU, the GeGe4Nephro research team includes experts from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (CHA), Universitätsklinikum Leipzig (UKL), the Hasso-Plattner-Institut für Digital Engineering (HPI), Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen (JLU) and the laboratory Labor Pachmann GmbH. The consortium also has a network of international partners from patient and physician associations, transplant centers, research and industry.
Further information:
Dr. Max Tretter
Chair of Systematic Theology II (Ethics)
max.tretter@fau.de