Masticationpedia Ethical and Scientific Board (MESB)

     Ethics • Transparency • AI & Data Governance

Masticationpedia Ethical and Scientific Board (MESB)

The Masticationpedia Ethical and Scientific Board (MESB) is the independent ethical-scientific body that oversees the Masticationpedia ecosystem, ensuring integrity, transparency, and alignment with the highest international standards in ethics, data protection, AI governance, and scientific accountability.

🏛️ 1. Mission of the MESB

The MESB is not a peer-review body for individual chapters. Instead, it acts as a global ethical and scientific guarantor for all Masticationpedia developments, including mathematical models, diagnostic frameworks, AI components, data workflows, and public initiatives.

• scientific and academic integrity;
• protection of functional and sensitive data in compliance with the GDPR;
• alignment with the EU AI Act for high-risk health-related AI systems;
• methodological transparency and decision traceability;
• continuous ethical oversight of all AI and computational infrastructures.

Note: The MESB does not judge the scientific quality of individual chapters (no editorial peer-review). Its role concerns the global ethical and regulatory alignment of the entire project.

→ 🔎 Read the official MESB Statute

2. Composition of the Board

Clinicians

• Diego Centonze — President, Full Professor of Neurology, Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata
• Gianni Frisardi — Clinician Scientist, Vice Chair
• Maurizio Stefano Giacomello — Visiting Professor of Gnathology and Cranio-Facial Anatomy, University of Milan-Bicocca

External Academics (Independent Members)

• Prof. Andrei Khrennikov — Applied Mathematics (Chair)
• Prof. Ali Esquembre Kučukalić — Applied Physics, Magnetic Materials, Modelling
• Prof. Michèle Finck — Law & Technology, EU AI Act, Data Protection (pending official acceptance)
• Prof. Kemal Türker — Physiology, Human Neuronal Networks
• Prof. Diego Centonze — Neurology, Neuroimmunology, Systems Medicine
• Bioethicist — pending identification

Civil Society

• Carla Cefalà — Civil Society Representative (UK Trustee)

External academics remain fully independent from the Masticationpedia clinical and operational teams and therefore act as External Independent Members in all ethical deliberations.

📝 3. Role & Responsibilities of External Independent Members

External Independent Members provide high-level ethical and scientific oversight, with specific focus on:

• AI governance and compliance with the EU AI Act;
• GDPR and data protection considerations;
• ethical alignment of AI-based pre-diagnostic components;
• integrity and transparency of mathematical and conceptual models;
• guidance on standards required by Wellcome Trust and Horizon Europe.

Workload: extremely light — occasional review of specific items, short comments when needed, no meetings unless explicitly required.

Commitment: fully asynchronous and flexible.

Independence: no involvement in clinical practice, platform operations, or internal decision-making.

🔧 4. Ethical Oversight Scope

The MESB provides cross-disciplinary ethical oversight of:

• mathematical and physical models of the Masticationpedia paradigm;
• complex diagnostic frameworks and conceptual structures;
• AI and computational components for pre-diagnosis;
• procedures for functional-data protection and pseudonymisation;
• projects submitted to Wellcome Trust or Horizon Europe;
• public initiatives and fundraising platforms (e.g., Open Collective).

The MESB does not authorize invasive clinical procedures nor act as a regulatory body. Its function is ethical, not medical-regulatory.

🔁 5. Asynchronous Ethical Procedure (No Meetings Required)

To ensure sustainability and accessibility for international academics, the MESB uses a fully asynchronous online process:

1. Internal notification of a new item requiring supervision.
2. Access to documentation via dedicated platform.
3. Individual vote (Approve / Conditional / Not approved) with optional comments.
4. Automatic quorum validation: at least 3 members, including 1 external.
5. Final ratification by the Vice Chair.
6. Registration of the decision in the EDR.

This model eliminates the need for synchronous meetings, ensures full traceability, and minimizes the workload for Board members.

📚 6. Ethical Decisions Register (EDR)

The Ethical Decisions Register (EDR) is the public, traceable archive of all MESB decisions. Each entry includes:

• Decision ID;
• Date;
• Item (model, AI component, project, etc.);
• Outcome;
• Link to the opinion;
• Short notes.

→ Open the EDR Register

🌐 7. Alignment with Wellcome, Horizon and the AI Act

The MESB governance model is compatible with:

• Wellcome Trust — Ethics & Integrity requirements;
• Horizon Europe — Ethics Self-Assessment & Summary Report;
• EU AI Act — high-risk AI classification for health systems;
• GDPR — processing of health and special-category data.

🚀 8. Requesting Ethical Supervision

The following may be submitted for MESB review:

• mathematical and diagnostic models;
• AI components for pre-diagnosis;
• projects submitted to Wellcome Trust or Horizon Europe;
• initiatives supported by Open Collective.

Contact methods:
• LinkedIn InMail (fully valid for documentation);
• Email: ethics@masticationpedia.org.

💬 9. Communications via LinkedIn

Formal communications with Board members may occur via LinkedIn InMail. These messages are considered valid and can be archived internally and, when relevant, within the EDR system.

• acceptance of Board membership;
• comments or recommendations on models and frameworks;
• ethical or AI-related observations;
• confirmations of agreement or consensus.

This page summarizes the ethical and scientific governance structure of Masticationpedia and serves as a reference for funding bodies, academic partners, and clinical collaborators.