Blog – Uthando Nethemba

The Demise of the Clinical Research Guru in the AI Era

The rise of AI is fundamentally reshaping the landscape of clinical research, challenging the traditional role of the “guru” or key opinion leader. In an age where vast amounts of public data are accessible to everyone, is the expert opinion still as valuable as it once was? The Democratization of Evidence For decades, the opinions…

by itembalabantu August 6, 2025

[Thought] Knowledge Work in the Age of AI

The rise of AI has led to a common prediction: the value of knowledge work is plummeting. With powerful tools that can generate text, summarize information, and write code in seconds, it seems that the days of high-value human expertise are numbered. After all, if an AI can do it, why would anyone pay a…

by itembalabantu August 2, 2025August 2, 2025

[JUN 10,2025] Today’s trial: CONFIDENCE

P: Adults (≥18 years of age) with CKD and type 2 diabetes (T2D), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 30–90 mL/min/1.73 m2 and UACR of ≥100 to <5000 mg/g. I: EMPA+FINE combo C: Empagliflozin vs Finerenone O: At day 180, the reduction in the UACR with combination therapy was 29% greater than that with finerenone alone (least-squares mean ratio…

by itembalabantu June 10, 2025

[Thought] The Rising Cost of Original Training Data: Will Humans Become AI’s Data Providers?

As artificial intelligence (AI) systems evolve, they are becoming increasingly reliant on high-quality, original data to sustain their growth. However, the scarcity and rising cost of obtaining such data are posing significant challenges. A provocative concern is emerging in this context: could humans eventually become mere providers of data, akin to “livestock” for AI systems?…

by itembalabantu December 21, 2024

The concept of a Human Digital Twin

The publication titled “A Unified View of a Human Digital Twin” provides a structured and comprehensive exploration of the concept of a Human Digital Twin (HDT). Here is a summary of the key points related to the concept, based on the publication: Definition of Human Digital Twin A Human Digital Twin (HDT) is a virtual…

by itembalabantu December 5, 2024December 5, 2024

[Paper] Management of heart failure in patients with kidney disease—updates from the 2021 ESC guidelines – Heart Failure Recommendations

Management of heart failure in patients with kidney disease—updates from the 2021 ESC guidelinesby Nicola C Edwards, et al.Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, Volume 38, Issue 8, August 2023, Pages 1798–1806, https://doi.org/10.1093/ndt/gfad011 While clinical trials over almost 40 years have enabled the guidelines to recommend multiple drugs with clear evidence of prognostic benefit in HFrEF, data for HFmrEF and…