🔬 [Research] Using the Metaverse to Ease Loneliness Among Young Patients with Cancer

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Many patients with rare diseases, especially pediatric and AYA cancer patients, spend long treatment periods feeling isolated, with few chances to meet others who truly understand their journey 💭

✨ To change this, professors at Okayama University have developed a metaverse community where patients can connect anonymously through avatars, regardless of location or appearance. Here, they can talk, play, and meet cancer survivors who have walked the same path, reminding them that they are not alone.

🌱 Developed by Professor Joe Hasei from Okayama University Hospital, this initiative is currently active in 20 hospitals across Japan and now expanding through crowdfunding to reach even more patients in need.

*Source: Okayama University, NIH: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39123345/