Digital twins of hearts could help diagnose and treat cardiac disease

IF YOU TRAVEL on a modern airliner, the chances are that each of the jet engines powering it will have a virtual copy residing in a computer on the ground. This copy, known as a digital twin, will be updated constantly with information from sensors that measure the engine’s performance and check for signs of wear and tear. Digital twins allow engineers to service engines as and when needed, rather than sticking to rigid schedules, and let them carry out preventive maintenance by fixing things before they break. Their use is increasingly common—not only in aerospace, but also in carmaking, construction and factory planning. If an international team of researchers have their way, similar twins will soon keep an eye on another important piece of equipment, the human heart.

Building a digital twin of a patient’s heart would first require that person to don a variety of sensors. The data from these would then be turned by specialised software into a computer simulation of the pumping organ. This simulation would show detailed information about how the heart is working, and the way blood is flowing within it. And, in the same way that digital twins in industry are employed by engineers, virtual hearts could be used by doctors to help with their diagnoses and to determine what treatments might be necessary. A twin could then keep track of how a patient responded to those treatments.