Virtual, non-existent organs in which to test drugs and therapies, or with which to discover risk factors that predispose to suffering from diseases. Data and more data stored in a computer that reveal the most appropriate treatment for each person. After all, in addition to flesh and blood, we are data. And this data, together with supercomputing, allows medical solutions to be tested in the digital world.
The idea may seem like science fiction, but it is already a reality that the Mobile World Capital and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center-Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) present in this edition of the MWC. It is a prototype of a virtual heart that each visitor can make beat to the rhythm of their pulses in a purely recreational proposal and that will not store any data.
MWCapital thus gives the leading role of the most cutting-edge science to the BSC, exemplifying how “supercomputing is transforming medical research to improve health, and what the different applications in this field can be,” according to Eduard Martín, general director of innovation at MWCapital, which considers that this project “reveals the technological potential of the city and serves as a tool for disseminating the work of researchers who are committed to the combination of technology and health.”
ELEM Biotech, a spin-off of the BSC, was born in 2018, precisely so that the virtual organ technology that the research center began to create in 2005 and which is now displayed at the foundation's stand in The congress. “The company was created to accelerate the transfer of technology to the patient as quickly as possible,” says Mariano Vázquez, one of the founders.
This technology combines the data received from the visitor with mathematical models to recreate the movement and behavior of their organs in a digital environment. The objective is that this “serves to predict the evolution of a disease, test a therapy, anticipate diseases and make decisions in the context of health,” explains Vázquez.
The life sciences department headed by researcher Alfonso Valencia at the BSC works on digital twins from a different point of view. Instead of duplicating an entire organ, it makes copies of cells, groups of cells and tumors, which allow us to understand what a drug does to a patient, or how genetics affects an entire system.
This work at the level of biological processes opens the door to a world of changes, improvements and inclusivity in the development of medicines. Digital trials will allow little by little to replace animal experimentation, will help identify the best treatment regimen for each person and will open up experimentation on sensitive populations such as children, women or the elderly.
To do this, however, it is not only necessary to carry out very precise simulations, but also to manage and move enormous amounts of genomic data and work on it using artificial intelligence models. The key to making this possible lies in the development of the MareNostrum 5 supercomputer, which has multiplied the computing capacity of its predecessor.
The machine combines two very different systems: one for classic computing, responsible for carrying out simulations, and another for artificial intelligence. Separately, each system is among the 20 most powerful supercomputers in the world; Together they make up one of the three largest supercomputers in Europe and will allow scientific progress in fields of knowledge as diverse as health, climate change and city design.
In addition to ELEM Biotech, there are ten other spin-offs that make the center one of the main talent attractors. For Alfonso Valencia, “the BSC ecosystem with the spin-offs is a huge attraction system.” In fact, last year it was the third institution in Spain in attracting competitive funds, only behind the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and Tecnalia, in the Basque Country. “This shows that we not only do things that are good, but that they are also very competitive, from the point of view of attracting money, which generates all these specialized jobs,” highlights the researcher.
The Barcelona Supercomputing Center and MareNostrum contribute to positioning the Catalan capital as a hub for continental biomedical research. “Today, Barcelona is an option for a young postdoctoral fellow in Europe,” concludes Valencia.
