CERTAINTY
A Cellular Immunotherapy Virtual Twin for Personalised Cancer Treatment
© Artur - stock.adobe.com / Fraunhofer IZI
OUR VISION
At CERTAINTY, our mission is to transform how we fight cancer through a personalised approach. We're building a virtual twin - think of it as a digital mirror - for people undergoing CAR T cell therapy, a cutting-edge cancer treatment. Virtual twins are digital representations of a human health or disease state. They are built using software models and data and are designed to mimic and predict behaviour of real patients. The virtual twin aims to support doctors and patients by offering insights that may guide decisions during treatment, contributing to a more informed approach to cancer care.
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While CAR T cell therapy, where a patient’s own cells are employed to fight cancer, is a significant focus of the CERTAINTY project, it represents merely one flavour of adoptive cellular immunotherapies. By the end of the project, our software modules will also be applicable—or at least effortlessly transferable—to other varieties of adoptive cellular immunotherapies, such as CAR-NK cells. Meanwhile, the virtual twin will be fully integrated into the ecosystem under the Digital Europe Programme. It aims to support doctors and patients by offering insights that may guide decisions during treatment, contributing to a more informed approach to cancer care.
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Our vision is bold. We're taking computer modelling to a whole new level by including treatments like CAR T cells into our virtual twin world. By looking into the latest research and focusing on blood cancers, especially multiple myeloma, we're custom-building a virtual twin specifically for CAR T cell therapy. This prototype will bring the perspectives of patients, healthcare professionals, and other key stakeholders into the heart of the design and development process, making sure the solution we create answers real-world needs.
The big picture for CERTAINTY is to play a role in shifting the cancer treatment landscape. This endeavour goes beyond just crafting a new smart tool: it's about setting the stage for treatments that are tailored to each individual, making them more effective and personal. We're not merely envisioning a brighter future in healthcare; we're taking measured steps to bring about these changes, acknowledging the journey's complexity and gradual nature.
DIGITAL GUIDE
Develop a virtual twin to guide treatment for cancer using advanced therapies like CAR T cells, focusing on blood cancer to benefit other types too.
DATA ENHANCEMENT
Improve our virtual twin by adding detailed cell data to offer treatment paths that go beyond standard decisions.
INTERFACE DESIGN
Design our tools with input from a broad group of users, including regulators, to ensure they meet everyone's needs.
PLATFORM CREATION
Build a dynamic virtual twin platform for 'living drugs' that grows smarter through user and developer collaboration.
SOFTWARE MODULES
Build software that understands and simulates the behaviour of CAR T cells as treatments within our digital healthcare system.
DATA STRUCTURING
Organise existing data on blood cancer to test and improve the predictions of our virtual twin.
EVIDENCE GENERATION
Show that our virtual twin makes better treatment decisions, aiming for a trial to prove it can improve patient outcomes.
