Preventing Dementia Through a Virtual Twin Brain Webinar Notes

Introduction

• Host: Jeff Pogliscus, Technical Editor for Gen
• Sponsored by Dassault Systèmes
• Focus: Virtual Twin technology in healthcare, specifically preventing dementia

Virtual Twin Technology

• Virtual Twins: Accurate representations of physical counterparts
• Applications in drug discovery and patient experience
  • Example: Living Heart Project
    • Aim: Develop personalized digital heart models
    • Applications: Education, training, medical device design, clinical diagnosis, regulatory science
    • Achievements: Reconstructed human heart from tissue genetic makeup to blood flow details

Presenter: Dr. Steven Levine

• Senior Director of Virtual Human Modeling at Dassault Systèmes
• Founder of the Living Heart Project
• Experience: Over 30 years in computational tools for healthcare

Agenda of the Talk

1. Company introduction and vision for digital technologies
2. Overview of the Living Heart Project
3. Development of virtual brain models and applications
4. Q&A session

Overview of Dassault Systèmes

• History: 40 years in software, initially in aerospace and now in healthcare
• 2012: Launched cloud-based platform for companies to collaborate on 3D models
• Goal: Create realistic virtual twins of the human body for new therapies

Virtual Human Modeling

• Importance of understanding the human body for therapy development
• Advances needed in medical imaging and reconstruction
• Challenges: Less than half of new medical devices/drugs pass clinical trials

Living Heart Project

• Core Components for Heart Model
  • Geometry from clinical images
  • Mechanical properties, electrical systems, and circulation modeling
• Result: A complete, functioning 3D virtual heart model
• Applications: Leads to better design and implementation of medical devices
• Example Case Study: TAVR device placement simulation
  • Virtual surgeries improve device placement and reduce risks

Drug Interactions and Cardiotoxicity

• Collaboration to develop models predicting drug interactions at a molecular level
• Focus on cardiotoxicity and arrhythmias as a safety evaluation for new compounds
• Use of AI to optimize drug dosages

Development of Virtual Brain Models

• Initial framework based on Living Heart Project
• Applications: Traumatic brain injury (TBI), neuromodulation, neurodegenerative disease progression

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

• Definition: Non-congenital intrusion in the brain from external forces
• Collaboration with military and research institutions
• Simulation results for different impact scenarios validated against cadaver data

Clinical Treatment Simulation

• Example: Decompressive craniectomy simulation
  • Strain analysis and risk assessment for surgeons

Neuromodulation Treatments

• Applications of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in treating Parkinson's
• Development of patient-specific models to guide surgical procedures
• Virtual reality visualizations for better surgical outcomes

Non-Invasive Treatments

• Exploring transcranial electrical stimulation for schizophrenia
• Modeling electrical signals' effects on brain regions
• Patient-specific models for optimized treatment protocols

Neurodegenerative Diseases

• Investigation of toxic protein propagation in diseases like Alzheimer's
• Creation of atrophy maps and progression models
• Potential for improving treatment protocols via insights from models

Future Directions

• Broader applications of virtual twin technology in healthcare
• Potential for patient-centric, personalized medicine
• Ongoing collaboration with the FDA for virtual clinical trials

Q&A Session Highlights

• Access to models: Available for Living Heart Project; Brain models in development
• Development time for models: Ranges from hours to longer depending on complexity
• Regulatory implications: Models can reduce costs and improve time-to-market
• Teacher and student engagement: Opportunities for academia and clinical applications
• Computing requirements: Can run on standard laptops for simpler models; powerful machines needed for complex simulations

Conclusion

• Emphasis on the integration of virtual and real-world insights for advancing healthcare
• Continued work on the virtual human twin represents a transformative future for patient care.