Digital twin of the human immune system:
Nearly every industry that deals with complex data uses digital twin technology — a simulatable computer replica of a real-world system. The team led by Tomas Helikar aims to apply this concept to create a digital twin of the human immune system. No large-scale digital twin of any human biological system exists, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced recently that it would consider supplementing or replacing clinical trials with models simulated on virtual patients. The team is developing infrastructure to help visualize the complexity of the immune system using state-of-the-art computing and artificial intelligence. The project includes eight researchers and 16 additional partners and advisers. The project received a five-year, $5,039,652 grant through the Grand Challenges initiative.
