What if doctors could test heart treatments on a computational replica of your cardiovascular system before touching you?
In CXOTalk episode 902, we go inside NTT Research's Medical & Health Informatics Lab to explore the science of cardiac digital twins: personalized software models that simulate how individual patients respond to drugs and therapies.
Join the live conversation and ask Dr. Alexander your questions!
Lab Director Joe Alexander, an M.D. cardiologist and Ph.D. biomedical engineer, explains how his team is building toward autonomous systems that could one day deliver heart failure treatment without human intervention.
We discuss the gap between today's trial-and-error cardiology and true precision medicine, why mechanistic models matter more than black-box AI for clinical trust, and what must go right for this technology to reach patients.
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In this conversation, you will learn:
How digital twin technology is evolving from industrial applications to healthcare and life sciences
Why mechanistic models that explain causation may earn more trust than black-box AI that only predicts
The challenges of building autonomous systems for high-stakes, safety-critical decisions
What it takes to validate AI-driven systems in regulated industries like healthcare
How interdisciplinary teams combine engineering, medicine, and data science to tackle complex problems
The timeline realities of deep R&D — and how to measure progress when commercialization is years away
Episode Participants
Joe Alexander, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.C., is Director of the MEI Lab at NTT Research. His background is in both engineering and medicine. After graduating with a degree in Chemical Engineering from Auburn University, he studied medicine as a fellow of the Medical Scientist Training Program at The Johns Hopkins University Medical School where he received both M.D. and Ph.D. degrees.
Michael Krigsman is a globally recognized analyst, strategic advisor, and industry commentator known for his deep business transformation, innovation, and leadership expertise. He has presented at industry events worldwide and written extensively on the reasons for IT failures. His work has been referenced in the media over 1,000 times and in more than 50 books and journal articles; his commentary on technology trends and business strategy reaches a global audience.
Upcoming Live Schedule
Dec. 5: Joe Alexander, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.C, Director, Medical & Health Informatics Laboratories, NTT
Dec. 19: Christian Kleinerman, EVP of Product, Snowflake
Jan 9: Burkhard Boeckem, Chief Technology Officer, Hexagon AB
Jan. 16: Prashant Mehrotra, EVP and Chief AI Officer, US Bank
Jan. 30: Raj Sharma, Global Managing Partner for Growth & Innovation, EY
Feb. 6: Alex "Sandy" Pentland, Stanford University and MIT
Feb 13. Dr. Tom Frieden, former Director, US Centers for Disease Control
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