Researchers from Amsterdam UMC receive a 10 million euro Horizon grant from the European Commission to develop a digital twin of a patient with a brain infarct or haemorrhage. This should make it easier to determine the best treatment for this particular patient.
The Gemini project was set up by a consortium of 19 partners from 12 different countries. From the Netherlands, Amsterdam UMC is involved. The aim of the project is to test a treatment for individual patients so that it is clear beforehand which treatment works well and which does not.
What is a digital twin?
The researchers point out that simulations are playing an increasing role in our world. For example, simulations now play an indispensable role in the design of cars and aircraft, among other things. Another example they cite is Max Verstappen, who first drives a race on a virtual race track before getting into his Formula 1 car.
A digital twin is a form of simulation. The term describes a digital copy of a physical object or environment. This can be an object such as a computer, but also an industrial environment such as a factory. There are also all kinds of applications for digital twins in healthcare. For instance, such a simulation can help prepare an operation, but also optimise processes in a hospital.
Increasingly common
In healthcare, simulations and digital twins are therefore increasingly common. For example, digital twins have previously been used to broaden the use of social robots and improve the treatment of heart disease, among other things.
Alfons Hoekstra, professor of Computational Science at the University of Amsterdam, explains how a digital twin of a patient is created: "It is not an animation, but involves real calculations. We enter the stroke patient's blood pressure, heart rhythm, information from the brain scan and other medical data. Then a kind of 'digital twin' rolls out on which we can simulate treatments."
Is a blood clot removable intact?
One example is the removal of a blood clot in a brain infarct. Performing simulations allows doctors to see whether a specific treatment leaves the blood clot intact, or causes it to disintegrate. Important, as the disintegration of a blood clot can be life-threatening. "By testing in advance, the patient gets the most optimal treatment," reports Professor of Neuroradiology Charles Majoie.
"It remains a simplification, but we are now finding out what is good for the individual patient. The more measurements we can put into the digital twin, the more accurately we can predict what the best treatment will be," Hoekstra added.
'New branch of sport'
Hoekstra speaks of a new branch of sport, as the way artificial intelligence (AI) is deployed in such Digital Twins differs. The way researchers input data into the computer model is also called 'knowledge-driven artificial intelligence'. The deployment of in-depth biological and medical knowledge of stroke is central to this.
This is in contrast to data-driven AI, which looks purely at large amounts of data from a large number of previous patients. Data-driven AI enables, among other things, predictions.
Engineering
The Gemini project will receive a 10 million euro grant from the EU. In addition, two partners from Switzerland and a Taiwanese partner are jointly contributing another three million euros. All 19 partners are also providing expertise in computer simulation and medicine. The project is led by Amsterdam UMC.
With the help of this money, the researchers plan to spend the next four years working on the technique that will make it possible to create such a digital twin. Once this technique is available, the researchers expect to need about two more years to realise a computer simulation that can be used in practice.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Image: Mohamed Hassan via Pixabay
