What if a virtual version of you could help cure disease?
In this episode of Agents of Tech, hosts Autria Godfrey and Stephen Horn explore the fascinating world of digital twins—virtual replicas of real-world entities that are revolutionizing industries, especially healthcare. From their origins in NASA’s Apollo missions to accelerating clinical trials today, digital twins are changing how we predict, prevent, and personalize treatment.
Featuring Aaron Smith, founder and machine learning scientist at UnLearn, we discuss how AI-driven digital twin models are transforming clinical trials—cutting costs, speeding up timelines, and reducing the need for placebo groups.
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00:00 - Welcome to Agents of Tech
00:15 - What are Digital Twins?
01:00 - Origins in NASA and Apollo 13
01:30 - From Static to Intelligent Twins
02:30 - AI-powered evolution: Science fiction becomes science fact
03:45 - Applications in Medicine & Clinical Trials
04:30 - Guest intro: Aaron Smith from UnLearn
05:10 - How Digital Twins Accelerate Clinical Trials
07:00 - The AI models behind the magic
08:20 - Why focus on clinical trials, not patient care?
10:15 - Reducing risk and increasing trial power
12:00 - Future of Phase 3 trials
13:30 - The long-term vision for digital twins in medicine
15:00 - Placebo groups and statistical innovation
17:00 - Machine learning in rare diseases
18:20 - Regulatory frameworks: EMA & FDA alignment
21:00 - What makes a disease suitable for digital twin modeling?
22:30 - Pharma partnerships and proprietary data
24:00 - Recap: Why this tech changes everything
25:15 - Outro: Like & subscribe!
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