TL;DR
Researchers in London and Cambridge built a computer copy of each patient's tumor, a "digital twin" made from the tumor's genetics, and tried treatments on the copy instead of the person. Run against 31 patients with triple-negative breast cancer, the twins called whether treatment would work in 74% of cases, roughly three of every four. For people facing cancer, the hope is simple: a doctor could test-drive several drug plans on a copy of the tumor and start with the one most likely to work, skipping months on a treatment that fails. The test so far looked back at patients whose results were already known; a forward-looking test is next, and our odds on it are an 85% chance it works, likely by 2029. To see the full odds and the timeline of breakthroughs that leads to digital patients, subscribe.
A story we are following. Computer stand-ins for patients could speed up every drug, gene therapy and anti-aging treatment that now waits years on human trials.
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