Upcoming Event: Center for Computational Medicine Seminar

Engineering Outcomes: From Medical Images to Predictive Biomechanical Digital Twins

Roger Assaker, Co-founder & CEO of MDsim

Abstract

Low back pain is one of the world's leading causes of disability, imposing an enormous burden on patients, healthcare systems, and society. Despite significant advances in medical imaging, spine care, and surgical technologies, major opportunities remain to improve how we assess, monitor, and treat spinal disorders.

Today, medical images are primarily used as static snapshots of a patient's anatomy. Yet the spine is a complex, dynamic biomechanical system whose health and function evolve over time. By combining computational modeling and simulation with artificial intelligence, we can transform conventional medical images into patient-specific biomechanical digital twins, opening new possibilities across the entire spine care continuum. First, the systematic assessment and longitudinal tracking of spine health metrics can support earlier detection of degeneration, deformity, and biomechanical imbalance, enabling more proactive prevention and better-informed conservative treatment.

Second, when surgery becomes necessary, digital twins can move surgical planning beyond geometric alignment toward a deeper understanding of patient-specific biomechanics. By simulating alternative surgical strategies and predicting their mechanical consequences, these models have the potential to optimize spinal balance, reduce the risk of mechanical complications, and ultimately avoid painful and costly revision surgeries.

This presentation will explore the scientific and technological foundations of this transformation, highlighting how computational mechanics, AI, and clinical expertise converge to move spine care from static anatomical assessment toward predictive, personalized, and outcome-driven medicine. The journey of MDsim and its SPINEsim platform will illustrate both the opportunities and challenges of translating advanced engineering technologies into clinical practice.

Biography

Dr. Roger Assaker is a serial deeptech entrepreneur, technology executive, and investor with a passion for transforming advanced scientific innovation into successful businesses that deliver real-world impact. He holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering, specializing in Computational Modeling & Simulation, and an MBA in International Business. He has complemented his academic background with executive education programs at leading institutions, including MIT and Harvard Business School. In 2003, Roger founded e-Xstream engineering, pioneering advanced multiscale modeling and simulation of composite materials and structures. In 2022, Roger embarked on a new entrepreneurial journey, co-founding MDsim, a medtech company leveraging computational modeling, simulation, and artificial intelligence to develop patient-specific biomechanical digital twins of the spine.