Personalized In Silico Medicine for Stroke: Bridging the Heart-Brain Axis with Validated Multi-Organ Digital Twins
Stroke is increasingly recognized as a systemic disease of the heart-brain axis, yet clinical management often remains siloed between cardiology and neurology. This presentation explores a comprehensive research program aimed at breaking these silos through the development of multi-organ and multi-scale Virtual Human Twins (VHT). By leveraging computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and adhering to rigorous V&V40 principles for model credibility, we transition from organ-specific modeling to an integrated systemic approach. Key highlights include results from the IDEAL study, the largest multicenter in-silico clinical trial on Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion hemodynamics to date, which demonstrates how in-silico indices significantly enhance the prediction of device-related thrombus. Furthermore, we discuss how large-scale EU-funded projects such as SimCardioTest and GEMINI are pioneering the use of these validated pipelines for advanced patient phenotyping and personalized treatment selection, ultimately moving stroke care toward a truly holistic, risk-informed clinical paradigm
