{"id":569382,"date":"2023-04-07T13:23:38","date_gmt":"2023-04-07T10:23:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/your-digital-twin-could-improve-your-health-heres-how\/"},"modified":"2023-04-07T13:23:38","modified_gmt":"2023-04-07T10:23:38","slug":"your-digital-twin-could-improve-your-health-heres-how","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/your-digital-twin-could-improve-your-health-heres-how\/","title":{"rendered":"#Your digital twin could improve your health. Here&#8217;s how"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a35a67aca0a6\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a35a67aca0a6\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/your-digital-twin-could-improve-your-health-heres-how\/#The\" >The &lt;3 of EU tech<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/your-digital-twin-could-improve-your-health-heres-how\/#In_silico\" >In silico\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/your-digital-twin-could-improve-your-health-heres-how\/#Virtual_you\" >Virtual you<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/your-digital-twin-could-improve-your-health-heres-how\/#So_when_will_I_get_a_virtual_me\" >So, when will I get a virtual me?\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div id=\"article-main-content\">\n                            <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Digital <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">twins <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">virtual replicas of real-world things \u2014 are already commonplace in manufacturing, industry, and aerospace. There are highly complex digital models of cities, ports, and power stations \u2014 but what about people?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The idea of digital <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">doppelg\u00e4ngers<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has long been confined to the realm of <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a> fiction. But a<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> new book presented at London\u2019s Science Museum last week suggests the concept could be coming to life.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/press.princeton.edu\/books\/hardcover\/9780691223278\/virtual-you\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Virtual You<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Peter Coveney, professor of chemistry and computer science at University College London, and Roger Highfield, science director at London\u2019s Science Museum, show how far researchers have already got in their quest for accurate digital simulations of people.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the book launch, the authors were joined by leading experts in healthcare digital twins from the University of Oxford, UCL, and the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre (BSC). The <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7Pw2BV8GdBA&amp;t=74s\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">panel<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> discussed the opportunities and challenges in creating a digital twin version of the human body, and its implications for medicine<span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\/>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The BSC has already created virtual models of living cells and whole organs. The most notable example is <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bsc.es\/news\/bsc-news\/alya-red-computational-heart\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alya Red<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a digital twin of a heart comprising around 100 million virtual cells.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"inarticle-wrapper latest channel-cta hs-embed-tnw\">\n<div id=\"hs-embed-tnw\" class=\"channel-cta-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"channel-cta-img\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/events.tnw\/hardfork-2018\/uploads\/visuals\/tnw-newsletter.png\"\/><\/div>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/events.tnw\/hardfork-2018\/uploads\/visuals\/tnw-newsletter.png\"\/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<div class=\"channel-cta-input\">\n<h2 class=\"channel-cta-title\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The\"><\/span>The &lt;3 of EU tech<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"channel-cta-tagline\">The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol&#8217; founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It&#8217;s free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The heart beats not within a person but inside <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bsc.es\/marenostrum\/marenostrum\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MareNostrum<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, one of the most powerful supercomputers in Europe. Working with the medical <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> company Medtronic, the Alya Red simulations can help position a pacemaker, fine-tune its electrical stimulus, and model its effects.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> <\/span><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-1395390 size-full js-lazy\" alt=\"\" width=\"1383\" height=\"818\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1383px) 100vw, 1383px\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/BSC001.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/BSC001.jpg 1383w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/BSC001-280x166.jpg 280w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/BSC001-228x135.jpg 228w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/BSC001-456x270.jpg 456w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/BSC001-796x471.jpg 796w\"\/><\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-1395390 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/BSC001.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1383\" height=\"818\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/BSC001.jpg 1383w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/BSC001-280x166.jpg 280w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/BSC001-228x135.jpg 228w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/BSC001-456x270.jpg 456w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/BSC001-796x471.jpg 796w\"\/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>MareNostrum is located in the Torre Girona chapel, Barcelona. Credit: Karolina Moon Photography.<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perhaps one of the most striking <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/6268882\/digital-twins-medicine-future\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">examples<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is Yoon-sun, a 26-year-old Korean woman whose entire circulation \u2014 a 95,000km-long network of vessels \u2014 has been m<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ed virtually through an international collaboration using several supercomputers. Researchers are using the model to <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/14dff6f4-a2de-4edc-8cda-efbe5d95c90c\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">study<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> blood pressure and the movement of clots throughout the vascular system.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"In_silico\"><\/span><b>In silico\u00a0<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These digital twins are not just confined to the lab. Several are already in use and, in some cases, <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pink.pharmaintelligence.informa.com\/PS143486\/Why-2020-Saw-The-Steady-Rise-Of-In-Silico-Trials\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">approved<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So far, these models have been deployed mainly for <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in silico<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> trials \u2014 when a drug or disease is tested virtually rather than on real human or animal tissue.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These trials allow companies to test their drug in \u2018virtual patients\u2019 before testing them in humans. This can help companies detect a \u201cfailure in the making\u201d early on in the drug development cycle, <\/span>says<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Fran\u00e7ois-Henri Boissel, CEO of French <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">clinical trial simulation platform <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pink.pharmaintelligence.informa.com\/PS143486\/Why-2020-Saw-The-Steady-Rise-Of-In-Silico-Trials\">Novadiscovery<\/a>. This can result in significant time and cost <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41746-022-00694-7\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">savings<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for companies undertaking clinical trials.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In silico trials also eliminate the ethical issues associated with animal testing, explained Blanca Rodriguez, professor of computational medicine at the University of Oxford, during the <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7Pw2BV8GdBA&amp;t=74s\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">panel<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> discussion last Wednesday.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rodriguez\u2019s team has created a digital twin of a heart that is used to simulate the effects of different drugs and diseases on heart function. In one virtual <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/6268882\/digital-twins-medicine-future\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">trial<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, her team tested the effects of 66 different drugs on over a thousand different heart cell simulations, and were able to predict the risk of abnormal heart rhythms with 89% accuracy. Comparable research on animals was 75% accurate.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These trials can also help fight the next public health emergency. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During the COVID-19 pandemic, supercomputers were used to simulate nearly everything, from potential treatments to predicting how the virus might spread, as highlighted in the video below.\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Next Pandemic\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" srcdoc=\"&lt;style&gt;*{padding:0;margin:0;overflow:hidden}html,body{background:#000;height:100%}img{position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:cover;transition:opacity .1s cubic-bezier(0.4,0,1,1)}a:hover img+img{opacity:1!important}&lt;\/style&gt;&lt;a href=\" https:=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/3dIQJJYPye0\/hqdefault.jpg\" style=\"top: 50%;left:50%;width:68px;height:48px;transform:translate3d(-50%,-50%,0)\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And as simulations of human tissues, organs, and cells become ever more sophisticated, they could open new frontiers for testing of vaccines, personalised treatment of symptoms, and help doctors to explore the effects of an infection on the entire body.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Digital twins could also expedite the search for candidate vaccines for the big families of animal viruses that are at risk of spilling over to the human population, said Highfield.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coveney and Highfield believe that these advances are laying the groundwork for digital twins of the entire human body.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Virtual_you\"><\/span><b>Virtual you<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Computational models of patients would not only look like their human counterparts but behave like them too.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creating a virtual you requires the collection and analysis of enough personal data to provide a realistic representation. This could come from any number of scans of your body and its organs, as well as genomic, biochemical analysis, and <span>wearable devices.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThese digital twins can inform what action a surgeon takes, what drug you get prescribed, or even what kind of life you choose to live,\u201d said Coveney.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your physician could run a number of scenarios through your digital twin \u2014 how you might respond to a certain drug or disease, for instance \u2014 without ever touching you (if you hate visits to the doctor, take note).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"c-richText__pullQuote\">\n<div class=\"c-richText__pullQuoteGradient\">\n<p class=\"c-richText__pullQuoteQuote\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cVirtual patients could potentially save and extend your life. <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your digital twin could accurately predict your risk of disease and recommend drug, diet, and lifestyle changes, potentially saving, and extending, your life.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>According to the European Commission, around 200,000 people die <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ethics.harvard.edu\/blog\/new-prescription-drugs-major-health-risk-few-offsetting-advantages#:~:text=Another%20840%2C000%20hospitalized%20patients%20are,a%20leading%20cause%20of%20death.\">each year<\/a> in Europe from drugs prescribed to them, partly because these therapies are generic and not designedspecifically for the patient.<\/p>\n<p>The same goes for treatment of disease: doctors are forced to make decisions based upon <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">similar but non-identical patients in similar but non-identical circumstances in the past.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cModern medicine is like driving a car while looking in the rearview mirror \u2014 it\u2019s always looking back to try to figure out what is happening now,\u201d said Highfield. \u201cThe hope is that digital twins will enable healthcare to become forward-looking, truly personalised, and predictive, removing much of the guesswork.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perhaps less consoling is the idea that your twin could be used to <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/press.princeton.edu\/books\/hardcover\/9780691223278\/virtual-you\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">predict<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> when you will die, to a fairly high degree of accuracy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moving on. \u00a0 <\/span><b>\u00a0<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"So_when_will_I_get_a_virtual_me\"><\/span><b>So, when will I get a virtual me?\u00a0<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before you get too excited (or petrified) \u2014 let\u2019s do a quick stock take.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oxford University professor, Denis Noble, developed the first model of a beating heart cell in 1959. A few years later his work was scaled up to the level of patches of cells, and by the 1990s models of the whole heart, powered by the earliest supercomputers, began to take shape. Now, programmes like Alya Red are enabling simulations of almost any part of the human body.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s the point where we find ourselves right now. To date, a digital twin of a whole human has never been created.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1395378 js-lazy\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/AI-virtual-human.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/AI-virtual-human.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/AI-virtual-human-210x210.png 210w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/AI-virtual-human-135x135.png 135w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/AI-virtual-human-96x96.png 96w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/AI-virtual-human-270x270.png 270w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/AI-virtual-human-796x796.png 796w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/AI-virtual-human-192x192.png 192w\"\/><figcaption><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"#\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Feditorial.thenextweb.com%2Fdeep-tech%2F2023%2F04%2F07%2Fdigital-twins-could-save-your-life-heres-how%2F&amp;via=thenextweb&amp;related=thenextweb&amp;text=Check out this picture on: We asked Midjourney\u2019s AI bot to create an image of a \u2018healthcare digital twin\u2019 \u2014 here\u2019s what it came up with.\" data-title=\"Share We asked Midjourney\u2019s AI bot to create an image of a \u2018healthcare digital twin\u2019 \u2014 here\u2019s what it came up with. on Twitter\" data-width=\"685\" data-height=\"500\" class=\"post-image-share popitup\" title=\"Share We asked Midjourney\u2019s AI bot to create an image of a \u2018healthcare digital twin\u2019 \u2014 here\u2019s what it came up with. on Twitter\"><i class=\"icon icon--inline icon--twitter--dark\"\/><\/a>We asked Midjourney\u2019s AI bot to create an image of a \u2018healthcare digital twin\u2019 \u2014 here\u2019s what it came up with.<\/figcaption><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1395378\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/AI-virtual-human.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/AI-virtual-human.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/AI-virtual-human-210x210.png 210w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/AI-virtual-human-135x135.png 135w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/AI-virtual-human-96x96.png 96w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/AI-virtual-human-270x270.png 270w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/AI-virtual-human-796x796.png 796w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/AI-virtual-human-192x192.png 192w\"\/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are still \u201cmassive technical hurdles\u201d to overcome, said Conveney. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simulations of this complexity will require access to incredibly powerful computers, such as Frontier, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the world\u2019s first and fastest <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Frontier_(supercomputer)\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">exascale<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> supercomputer<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. These computers are still few and far between, and require large amounts of <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.in\/tech\/enterprise\/news\/supercomputers-have-become-faster-and-more-powerful-but-making-them-energy-efficient-is-the-need-of-the-hour\/articleshow\/92495353.cms#:~:text=Supercomputers%20typically%20consume%20anywhere%20between,megawatts%20of%20power%20on%20average.\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">energy<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to run.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another \u201chuge challenge\u201d, he says, is stitching together all the codes for each part of the virtual body. Each part of the digital human, like a cell or a heart, is technically a separate simulation. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are also multiple scales for the simulations: one model for a cell and another for the whole organ require different codes and run at different speeds. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Getting all of these codes to load at once and at the same speed is no easy feat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are also ethical considerations. The ability to predict almost anything about your health is a powerful tool for healthcare professionals, but potentially <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.royalhaskoningdhv.com\/en\/newsroom\/blogs\/risk-mitigation-in-digital-twins\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">dangerous<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the wrong hands.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Within the limits of current technology, creating your own virtual twin right now is only be within the reach of billionaires, says Conveney.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even the most powerful computers conceivable in the distant future will not have sufficient capacity to analyse you in full molecular detail. You, my friend, are too complicated, even for the smartest computer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But Coveney and Highfield do make a convincing case that incomplete digital representations will still be an extremely useful tool for advancing medical science and individuals\u2019 health. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the late British statistician George Box opined, \u201cAll models are wrong. Some are useful.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The authors are also hopeful that the computing requirements of these twins can be reduced using, you guessed it, artificial intelligence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AI and machine learning can replicate some of the code and enable the whole digital twin to load at the kind of speeds needed for effective medical decision making,\u201d said Highfield. AI could enable virtual humans to be run on much smaller machines.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While there are many hurdles to overcome, and definitely some ethical issues to iron out, fully functioning virtual patients, that offer healthcare professionals insights they can actually act on, are not as far off as you might think.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conveney, one of the foremost global experts on the topic, believes virtual patients could be available for practical medical uses <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in about five years\u2019 time.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\n                        <\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/digital-twins-could-save-your-life-heres-how\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Digital twins \u2014 virtual replicas of real-world things \u2014 are already commonplace in manufacturing, industry, and aerospace. There are highly complex digital models of cities, ports, and power stations \u2014 but what about people?\u00a0 The idea of digital doppelg\u00e4ngers has long been confined to the realm of science fiction. But a new book presented at&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":569383,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw-blurple?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/04\/Digital-twins-healthcare-medicine-virtual-patient-1.jpg&signature=90c8cf6312c78780a7e971a3f92d0297","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-569382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=569382"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569382\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/569383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=569382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=569382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=569382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}