About Us
To define DARKDRUG.com as an internet magazine is rather grand as we are in the embryonic phase of our development. It’s rather a collective blog, a ‘coblog’ if you will. Aspirations do exist to grow this venture into a fully-fledged magazine, but for now small begins as the saying goes.
Conceived in 2010, to bring this not for profit website to fruition has been arduous as all the writers have real jobs. DARKDRUG is not an attempt to keep track of scientific and technological progress (there are other magazines and journals that do a much better job), instead it endeavours to highlight significant scientific, social and cultural impact topics, especially those that may be contentious and being reported or commented on incorrectly elsewhere.
Central to each of our stories is medicines; their development, the production of them, generation of data on them, the companies that make them, the organisations that evaluate and buy them, the individuals that prescribe them, the patients that receive them their clinical, social, economic impact, the diseases that they treat and finally the patient pathway they fit in (this is the part where technology comes in). We would concur that some stories may have a tenuous link back to a medicine or medicines but tenuous or otherwise there will always be a link.
To focus on the topics we cover we have nominated to keep this website advertisement free in conjunction we will attempt not to use cookies – unless it will aid your experience in using the website. Your privacy is important to us. Traditional books or magazines never disclose the reader to the author.
Our Values
There are 5 pillars or principals that DARKDRUG is built upon and aspire to:
- We advocate openness and honesty about research.
- We believe in the true representation of science in public and within the disciplines that it originates from and will challenge when it is misrepresented.
- We champion and seek diversity of research and scientific opinion from the global community.
- We strive not to be judgemental but create debate and passion.
- We are biased as defined by our first 4 principals and who we are as individuals, though with self-awareness we will prevent it clouding our interpretation of the science.
We are actively seeking new writers, so if you are interested please get in contact.
Our KC ‘I’ AI grading system
It’s difficult to critically appraise and compare new digital (AI or machine learning) or technology solutions being produced to improve our wellbeing. DARKDRUG has produced a points based system to quickly assess the potential wider societal impact of these new modern solutions and compare them against established standards and each other. This is not an absolute grading system and arguably some of the point awarding is open to interpretation, however any inherent biases should be consistently applied as it is us doing the scoring, rather like the BAFTAs.
The system only applies to solutions utilising machine learning, AI, logical solution seeking algorithms or new hardware innovations. It should not be applied to healthcare delivery applications, such as those intended to change or support patient behaviour. The KC’A’ system is being developed for this purpose. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the UK has developed an evidence standards framework for digital health technologies and the KC’A’ system will draw on this document.
KC ‘I’ scoring criteria
|
SCORE |
|
3 |
|
2 |
|
|
|
Technology or digital solution tested through established standards appropriate for the solution being tested e.g RCT and outcomes peer reviewed |
4 |
|
Technology or digital solution outcomes demonstrated through non gold standard study |
3 |
|
Proof of concept study with or without outcome data |
2 |
|
Theoretical solution based on technological or digital innovation |
1 |
|
|
|
Outcome data improves upon current agreed standards |
4 |
|
Outcome data equitable to current agreed standards |
3 |
|
Outcome data non-equitable to current agreed standards |
2 |
|
Outcome data inconclusive or does not exist in comparison to current agreed standards |
1 |
There are two extra criteria that are applied:
For AI : Demonstrates creative or abstract thinking – 4
For any new process created : New process demonstrates innovative thinking in disrupting the established system – 4
KC ‘I’ grading criteria
SCORE |
GRADE |
| 11 | A1 |
| 10 | A2 |
| 9 | A3 |
| 8 | B1 |
| 7 | B2 |
| 6 | C1 |
| 5 | C2 |
| 4 | D1 |
| 3 | D1 |
| 2 | D2 |
A score of 19 or above is graded as KCI ‘O’ status. We at DARKDRUG would be ecstatic to see an O rating but belief it may not happen in our lifetimes.
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Header Banner: The Bhodi Tree, (The Bodhi Tree (Sanskrit: बोधि), also known as Bo (from Sinhalese: Bo), “peepal tree”, or “arasa maram” (Tamil:அரசமரம்)(Devanagari: पीपल क पेड़), is a large and ancient sacred fig tree (Ficus religiosa) located in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India, under which Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual teacher who became the current Buddha, attained enlightenment. In Buddhist iconography, the Bodhi Tree is recognizable by its heart-shaped leaves, which are usually prominently displayed. Other revered trees in Buddhism are the Anandabodhi tree in Sravasti and the Bodhi tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. Both are believed to have been propagated from the original Bodhi Tree.