About CERTAINTY
Our Project's Background
The inspiration behind CERTAINTY sprouted from a need to make a ground-breaking cancer treatment, known as CAR T cell therapy, more accessible and tailored for those who need it. Since its boom in 2018, this therapy has shown great promise but comes with a hefty price tag that puts it out of reach for many. On top of the cost, there's a slew of challenges—from minimising side effects to making sure the therapy is fine-tuned to each person's unique health picture. With these hurdles in mind, CERTAINTY aims to weave the power of personalised AI into healthcare, making sure that this life-saving treatment can reach more people, without the staggering costs.
Our journey with CERTAINTY is driven by a simple fact: while CAR T cell therapy has worked wonders for many, it is still unclear why some patients do not respond to therapy. Some patients see long-term recoveries; others may not benefit as much or might face substantial side effects or even a return of the disease too soon. Because the therapy involves taking and re-engineering a patient's own cells, it's essential to pick just the right moment for treatment, considering age-related health issues and other factors. With CERTAINTY's help, we're aiming to use real-world data to not only choose the right time for treatment but also to improve CAR T cell production and open the doors for more people to benefit from this therapy, ultimately improving the odds of success.
Application of the Virtual Twin for Multiple Myeloma Patients
Multiple myeloma (MM) is a genetically and clinically heterogeneous disease, with survival ranging from months to decades based on a patient’s risk profile. Immunotherapies, especially CAR T cells, have revolutionised the treatment of relapsed MM. CAR T cells, such as Idecabtagene vicleucel (Ide-cel, Abecma®) and Ciltacabtagene autoleucel (Cilta-cel, Carvykti®), are approved for the treatment of triple-class exposed relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) patients after they received at least three prior lines of therapy. After the medical decision for CAR T cells, bridging therapy is initiated and apheresis is prepared. Isolated lymphocytes are shipped to the CAR T cell manufacturer. If CAR T cell production or subsequent expansion is insufficient, the cycle starts again. If CAR T cell production is successful, the manufacturer sends the cell product to the respective clinic. After the arrival of the product, therapy is induced, starting with lymphodepletion followed by the CAR T cell infusion. Treatment guidance for CAR T cell therapy can be enhanced by applying the concept of VTs. Intensive phenotyping results in patient-specific multi-modal data that is matched with the phenotypes of patients with similar conditions and comorbidities, resulting in better treatment decisions.
CERTAINTY Unveils New Horizons
CERTAINTY is pushing the boundaries with its first major leap: creating a fully connected virtual twin system that's designed to support CAR T cell therapy patients. This isn't just about tracking the disease; it's about understanding the treatment itself because it is a biological system. By merging detailed patient data with cutting-edge computational models of both the cancer and the CAR T cells, we're bringing something entirely new to the table. This integration will allow for informed, precise treatment decisions across Europe, and will make advanced therapies more accessible, especially in regions where they were previously out of reach.
But we're not stopping there. CERTAINTY is also pioneering in how we understand the interaction between millions of cells during therapy, using models that can simulate the complex behaviour of CAR T cells fighting cancer. This is groundbreaking because, for the first time, we can adjust these models with real patient data and even predict how different treatments might work. Plus, by diving into the detailed world of single-cell analysis, we can tailor treatments to the individual's unique cancer and immune system makeup. Through a collaborative approach, we're also ensuring that this technology reflects the real needs and concerns of patients and healthcare professionals, making it not just innovative but also trusted and truly useful.
Pathways to Impact with CERTAINTY
Expected Outcomes
Personalised Care
Clinicians and patients will use advanced virtual models for tailored, cost-efficient cellular therapy strategies, surpassing traditional care methods.
Innovative Diagnostics
New personalised diagnostics and therapy strategies will emerge, offering clinicians and patients more precise treatment paths and improved care.
Enhanced Knowledge
Healthcare experts gain a deeper understanding of disease progression using innovative multi-scale models, refining CAR T cell therapy outcomes.
Integrated Virtual Twins
Citizens and patients will benefit from virtual twins that combine personal health data with medical records, improving disease prediction and management.
Expected Impact
Scientific
CERTAINTY leads with a cutting-edge virtual twin, transforming the treatment of blood cancers like multiple myeloma. This innovation tailors CAR T cell therapies to each patient, improving the accuracy of treatment and reducing the risk of unwanted reactions.
Societal
Our project aims to make advanced treatments fair and personal in accordance with internal rules that comply with applicable legislation such as the GDPR. By incorporating factors such as sex and socioeconomic background into the virtual twin, CERTAINTY aims to contribute to making life-saving therapies more inclusive, hoping to guide a small step towards wider accessibility, regardless of an individual's location or background.
Economic/Technological
CERTAINTY is set to make CAR T cell therapies more cost-effective and widely available, leading to better care at a lower cost. This supports Europe's lead in medical technology, creating jobs and fostering collaborations that benefit patients across the globe.
CERTAINTY and 7 Related Projects
CERTAINTY has received funding from the European Union under Grant Agreement No. 101136379. Our project falls under the specific topic HORIZON-HLTH-2023-TOOL-05-03, which focuses on the development of integrated, multi-scale computational models of patient pathophysiology ('virtual twins') for personalised disease management.
CERTAINTY is one of eight projects that have been granted funding under the same call. Discover more about our fellow projects and their innovative approaches in the field by clicking on their logos below, which will redirect you to the respective project websites.