The simulation software developed by ANSYS allows the user to replicate tissues, bones, and implanted devices using advanced modeling techniques that are previously validated through experimentation. This creates a virtual workbench for practitioners to operate upon without any associated risks. Medical device manufacturers can simulate how their new prototype would interact with a virtual patient on a computer and predict their behavior for different patients. Various complexities or abnormalities can be incorporated into simulation with more advanced and nonlinear models, obeying the natural functions of a human body. Once the simulation set-up is complete, practitioners can virtually test their equipment or processes to enhance their practices. Medical professionals can change the parameters governing the simulation or alter the operating conditions, and repeat the tests to learn multiple probabilities or outcomes of the operational procedures.

Owing to the fact that every human body is unique, simulations can be tailored to suit a particular condition or a specific type of body, depending on the requirements. “The current ‘one size fits all’ approach to healthcare fails to recognize the significant differences between the bodies and behaviors of different patients. This not only creates inefficiencies and cost overruns but also affects the quality of care provided. By personalizing the specific treatment to each patient, healthcare will become more affordable for patients and more profitable for providers due to increased efficiency,” adds Marchal.

Additionally, with the increasing usage of wearable and implanted devices, collecting personalized data to feed predictive models is becoming a reality. This allows healthcare providers to devise truly personalized treatment plans as well as to predict health problems before they occur. These practices foster the development of preventive medicines using statistical data and predictive analysis that will be able to detect and treat pathologies at a very early stage. According to the Avicenna Alliance, these techniques could benefit more than 50 percent of the clinical trials in the near future. While this “medical digital twin” concept might seem like science fiction, advanced technology is poised to improve the quality of life for people around the world. Marchal envisions the inevitable adoption of this in-silico approach offered by ANSYS, paving the way for virtual human laboratories to determine the uncertainties prevailing in medical sciences.