Dassault Systèmes' playbook for building digital twins of human organs

Des Linden, the renowned Olympic marathon runner completed her fifth Olympic trial this month. Over the years, the 40-year-old Linden, who is also winner of the 2018 Boston Marathon, has witnessed significant advancements in her training and health monitoring processes to keep up with the changes her body undergoes as she ages. Notably, in October last year, she embarked on a partnership with IT services giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Together, they introduced a unique addition to her regimen: a virtual twin of Linden's heart.

Through this collaboration, TCS leverages the cutting-edge technology of Dassault Systèmes' Living Heart Project to create precise digital models of Linden's heart. This innovative approach offers insights into her heart's function, responses to various conditions, and overall efficiency.

The Living Heart Project, first demonstrated at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2022, is involved in creating virtual simulations of the human heart to study various heart conditions such as arrhythmias, heart failure, and congenital heart defects. Built on Dassault's 3DEXPERIENCE platform, the virtual heart helps gain insight into the underlying mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases and aids in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

“Cardiovascular diseases are not only the top cause of death, but they also pose a major burden on society – a burden worth trillions of dollars, actually,” said Steve Levine, senior director of Virtual Human Modeling at Dassault, to TechCircle. “The Living Heart Project was really an attempt to see how far we can take the technology and produce a common reference model of the human heart on which doctors can analyze rather than operating directly on the human patient.”

Levine mentioned that the virtual model of the heart goes beyond just a pure computer or analytical model. “What we try to do is create a realistic twin which includes the full virtualization and the realistic function of the heart.” The team is working with about 150 partners around the world, including hospitals, some of which have already deployed virtual heart models for testing treatments or surgeries. The project’s scope has also extended beyond just the digital twin of the heart to that of the brain and lungs.

The Living Heart Project has also collaborated with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). “We just completed a project where we took the digital twin model and used it to create an entire population in a clinical trial. This approach eliminates the need for costly and time-consuming human trials, which may not even accurately represent the entire population. We were able to create simulations for an entire population which gives you the freedom and power to model any and all possible types of humans to test before the real trial,” said Levine.

He added that the team is also scouting for more local partners to take the project beyond the US. He believes that technology, particularly in healthcare, needs to be implemented by people with expertise and the know-how of the population where the solutions are being deployed. “We need teams in India to help with that population and offer the unique aspects of the healthcare system in the country. India, in particular, has its own unique needs, and the local experts will be most sensitive and aware of what those are.”

Notably, apart from working with TCS on the deployment and implementation side of the project, Dassault has also partnered with Infosys on the research and development work. Further, Dassault is also working with Bengaluru-based startup BrainsAI Insight that leverages its 3DEXPERIENCE platform for AI-based diagnosis of the brain to aid psychiatrists and neurologists.

Going forward, the Living Heart Project wants to create a global reference standard for heart digital twins. “Although our body functions are influenced by genetic histories, the fundamental principles remain constant. Therefore, while the adaptation of the heart to different populations or individuals may vary, the collective reference of how the body works provides the greatest scalability. Currently, our focus is on developing reference models for various organs such as the heart, brain, and lungs, with plans to expand throughout the body. The goal is to adapt these reference models to the specific characteristics of local populations,” said Levine.

It may be noted that digital twins for body organs is a concept quickly gaining popularity. Apart from Dassault, the Japanese company NTT is also working on creating what it calls bio-digital twins of organs like the heart and brain. According to a report by the research firm Markets and Markets, the digital twins in the healthcare market were estimated to be worth $1.6 billion in 2023. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 67% between 2023 and 2028 to reach $21 billion.