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.
Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more deep dives into the future of tech and science.
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!
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Boysober
Have you ever wondered what life might be like if you stopped worrying about being wanted, and focused on understanding what you actually want? That was the question Hope Woodard asked herself after a string of situationships inspired her to take a break from sex and dating. She went "boysober," a personal concept that sparked a global movement among women looking to prioritize themselves over men. Now, Hope is looking to expand the ways we explore our relationship to relationships. Taking a bold, unfiltered look into modern love, romance, and self-discovery, Boysober will dive into messy stories about dating, sex, love, friendship, and breaking generational patterns—all with humor, vulnerability, and a fresh perspective.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com