Upgrade 2021: MEI LAB Speakers
Jon Peterson
Demonstrating the Promise of Bio Digital Twins in Health and Disease
As work on bio-digital twin technology continues at NTT Research, Dr. Jon Peterson presented a demonstration at Upgrade 2021 that showed the promise of the technology in a hospital setting. In a nutshell, in a matter of seconds it would enable physicians to run through various scenarios, involving both drugs and other treatment options, to quickly zero in on the best option for each patient.
Presented at the NTT Research Upgrade 2021 Summit on September 20, 2021.
Jon Peterson
Distinguished Scientist, Medical & Health Informatics (MEI) Lab | NTT Research
Bio Digital Twins in Health and Disease
Following up on his Day 1 talk at Upgrade 2021 on bio-digital twin technology, on Day 2 Dr. Jon Peterson, a Senior Research Scientist at NTT Research, presented some practical potential use cases for the technology in a medical setting.
The scenarios Dr. Peterson explored included the effect of exercise on the cardiovascular system of a healthy person. Other scenarios included a patient suffering from high blood pressure, and another with a profusely bleeding wound. In each case, he demonstrated how the model could illustrate the effect of various interventions, including drugs and fluids.
Presented at the NTT Research Upgrade 2021 Summit on September 21, 2021.
Cory Funk
Senior Research Scientist | Institute for Systems Biology
Using Digital Twin Technology to Find the Needle in the Alzheimer’s Research Haystack
Alzheimer’s disease has been particularly vexing for medical researchers for a number of reasons, including the fact that genome-wide studies have identified more than 40 genetic loci associated with the disease. But digital twin technology presents a promising way to break down the challenge into smaller components, eliminate some possibilities, and find the path to a cause on an individualized basis.
Dr. Cory Funk is focused on Alzheimer’s in his role as a Senior Research Scientist at the Institute for Systems Biology, a nonprofit biomedical research organization based in Seattle. In a talk at Upgrade 2021, Dr. Funk reported on his work with digital twins to “reduce the hypothesis space by means of causal reasoning.” It’s an important endeavor because there is so much variability in how the disease manifests itself, with the same inputs appearing to cause Alzheimer’s in some individuals but not others.
Presented at the NTT Research Upgrade 2021 Summit on September 21, 2021.
Kenji Sunagawa
Director of Circulatory System Research Foundation | Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
Bio-digital Twin Technology Shows Promise in Autonomous Cardiac Therapy
Despite major advances in medicine over the past few decades, many diseases remain incurable, uncontrollable, or unpreventable, with heart disease being chief among them. Part of the problem is that the cardiovascular system is so complex that it’s difficult to determine which therapies, including drugs and devices, will be effective in each patient’s situation.
A promising solution lies in the development of a bio-digital twin. In his talk at Upgrade 2020, Kenji Sunagawa, PhD, MD, Founder, and Director of the Circulatory System Research Foundation, demonstrated how bio-digital twin technology can help doctors quickly home in on promising therapies for cardiovascular issues.
“But what is most exciting, at least for us, is autonomous therapy. Just like auto-pilot and self-driving [cars]” Dr. Sunagawa said. “It is a game changer, I’m sure.”
Presented at the NTT Research Upgrade 2021 Summit on September 21, 2021.
David Gracias
Professor | Johns Hopkins University
Smart Microtechnologies for Human Interfaces
David Gracias discusses the topic Smart Microtechnologies for Human Interfaces
Presented at the NTT Research Upgrade 2021 Summit on September 21, 2021.
Daniel Burkhoff
Development and Validation of a Hemodynamic Digital Twin for Intensive Care Decision Support
Daniel Burkhoff discusses the topic Development and Validation of a Hemodynamic Digital Twin for Intensive Care Decision Support.
Presented at the NTT Research Upgrade 2021 Summit on September 21, 2021.
