A spotlight on the bridges between digital technology and health

Why did you choose the topic of numerical simulation in healthcare for this meeting? 

It is a very important area of research for the centre. We would like to show how some of our teams are actively contributing to the transformation of many fields of healthcare. Let's take the example of the project team Monc, who are working in oncology. Thanks to the team’s modelling tools, they are able to predict the development of tumours and offer decision-support tools to medical clinicians to better adapt their treatments. As for the project team Sistm, they are particularly interested in the immunology of infectious diseases, including HIV and Ebola. In particular, their methods enable them to model responses to antiretroviral treatments, immune interventions or vaccines. There is also the project team Carmen, who are working on simulations in the field of cardiology, and project team Mnemosyne, who are developing models of brain circuits involved in executive functions and using them to explore brain pathologies and dysfunctions. 

Our field of health exploration is therefore very broad and is constantly being enriched by scientific and technological advances. It is in this respect that there is a real continuum between this subject and the themes of the first two round tables: “Modelling and computing to better anticipate and face major scientific, industrial and societal challenges” and “Artificial intelligence, when machines learn”. 

During the discussions, you would like to insist on the importance of transfer for your research. Why? 

 

Making progress in upstream research is, of course, essential. But if we want to have an impact on the population, we must build bridges between the digital world and the health world. This is what will make the research more relevant. And this cannot happen with a mathematical genius on the one hand and a brilliant clinician on the other who are unable to communicate with each other. We need to create interfaces, with teams who build dialogue between the different spheres. Supporting a project from research to transfer is what we do at Monc, SISTM, Carmen, MNEMOSYNE, etc. 

 

 

How will you broach the subject?

We will exchange viewpoints and foster dialogue between the different actors and spheres. Amandine Crombé, radiologist at the Institut Bergonié, will discuss the interactions created with the Monc team and what they are contributing to her clinical approach. Frédérique Lesaulnier, Inserm's data protection officer, will shed light on the issue of data at the heart of our work. This is because our simulations and models can only be built using previously collected data. They open up very important opportunities, but they also require certain precautions with regard to data protection. Finally, Jean-Marc Peyrat, CEO and co-founder of the start-up inHEART, will present inHEART’s virtual 3D heart modelling technology with the aim of optimising cardiac procedures. inHEART, the result of a joint effort by teams from Inria Sophia Antipolis - Méditerranée, Bordeaux University Hospital (CHU) and the Liryc University Hospital Institution (IHU) (on which the Carmen project team depends), is an excellent example of the level of innovation that can be achieved through the various bridges built between all of these spheres. 

Finally, we will also open up discussion with the rest of the room. We would like to give prominence to interactions with the public in order to continue the debate. 

Thursday 27 September: celebrating 10 years of research and technology transfer

First highlight of the day on 27^th September 2018: three successive round tables organised by Inria and hosted by ENSEIRB-MATMECA, a Bordeaux INP engineering school, from 4pm to 7.30pm. They will provide an opportunity to discuss major digital issues that are also important societal matters with researchers and industry professionals from around the world, who form the Inria Bordeaux - Sud-Ouest ecosystem.

Round table 3

Numerical simulation for health, from research to transfer

• Amandine Crombe, radiologist at the Institut Bergonié
• Frédérique Lesaulnier, data protection officer at Inserm
• Jean-Marc Peyrat, CEO and co-founder of inHEART
• Rodolphe Thiébaut, university professor and hospital practitioner at the University of Bordeaux and SISTM project team leader