MODEL THERAPY New dimension: 3D ‘avatars’ of patients to let docs test treatments

London: Doctors in the UK are looking to build 3D computer 'avatars' of patients to test treatments before prescribing, a step that can revolutionize medical science. Doctors are taking the first steps towards a Google Earth style map of the human body, scientists said on Friday. 

    A digital 3D replica of a patient would be created using their medical data to give an overall picture of their health. 
    The 3D computer 'avatar' which would then allow doctors to test how different treatments would work on that person's body. The detailed simulation would warn of unwanted side-effects before they happen. 
    Doctors are already piloting a model of a cerebral aneurysm which could assist clinicians in predicting how likely rupture would be and if treatment is necessary, the Daily Mail reported. 
    Professor Alejandro Frangi of Sheffield University said, "There is a lot of data about us in the healthcare system, but it is fragmented. I think the modelling framework gives us a mechanism, I like to see it as Google Earth, putting all of these layers of information together." 
    The advance could also help predict the likelihood of bone fractures in patients with osteoporosis by producing a musculoskeletal model from bone density data. 
    "By developing models of complete organ systems, such as the cardiovascular system, we can help clinicians predict whether treating a constriction in one coronary artery, for example, might improve or worsen blood supply in other coronary arteries in patients with multiple lesions," Frangi said. PTI