The Cardiovascular System, Mapped in Code as a Digital Twin | CXOTalk #901

CXOTalk

Can a digital replica of your heart save your life? In CXOTalk episode 902, Michael Krigsman talks with Dr. Joe Alexander, Director of the Medical and Health Informatics Lab at NTT Research, to explore the revolutionary world of Bio-Digital Twins.Discover how researchers are using mathematical modeling to build "computational replicas" of the human cardiovascular system. Dr. Alexander explains how these digital twins can predict heart failure, automate critical care in the ICU through closed-loop intervention systems, and pave the way for a future where personalized medicine is accessible to everyone.We dive deep into the science of treating the heart as an electrical circuit, the ethics of AI in medicine, and the "moonshot" goal of eliminating cardiovascular disease..🔷 Show notes: https://www.cxotalk.com/episode/cardiac-digital-twins-inside-the-research-lab🔷 Newsletter: www.cxotalk.com/subscribe🔷 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/cxotalk🔷 Twitter: twitter.com/cxotalk💡 KEY TOPICS DISCUSSED:Bio-Digital Twins: How digital replicas of organs allow doctors to test treatments virtually before applying them physically.Closed-Loop Systems: The development of autonomous systems that can regulate heart medication beat-by-beat to minimize oxygen consumption and improve recovery.The Physics of the Heart: How Dr. Alexander uses resistors, capacitors, and diodes to model blood flow and pressure.The Future of MedTech: Moving from acute care (ICU) to managing chronic heart failure with wearable technology.👥 ABOUT THE GUEST:

Dr. Joe Alexander is the Director of the Medical and Health Informatics Lab at NTT Research. With a unique background as a chemical engineer and a burn survivor who later attended Johns Hopkins for his MD/PhD, Dr. Alexander is leading "moonshot" research into bio-digital twins to transform cardiovascular care.📍 CHAPTERS:0:00 - Introduction: What is a Cardiac Digital Twin? 2:20 - The Aviation Analogy: Predictive Maintenance for the Body 4:54 - The "Electrical Analog" Model: Viewing the Heart as a Circuit 6:42 - Autonomous Closed-Loop Intervention: Automating ICU Care 12:04 - How a Digital Twin is Built (Population vs. Patient Data) 17:09 - Animal Trials & Validating the Technology 22:11 - Ethics & Safety: Can We Trust AI with Life-and-Death Decisions? 29:03 - Causal vs. Black Box AI: Why Physiology Matters 44:58 - The "Bionic" Approach: Interdisciplinary Teams 50:32 - Health Equity & The Quintuple Aims of Healthcare#DigitalTwins #Cardiology #MedTech #AIinHealthcare #NTTResearch #FutureOfMedicine #HeartHealth #CXOTalk