Working with “digital twins” of patients’ hearts, doctors have improved cardiac ablation outcomes for patients with life-threatening arrhythmias. In the first clinical trials for cardiac digital twins technology, researchers at Johns Hopkins University created digital replicas of patients’ hearts, then tested procedures on those twins before performing them on the real thing. Working with digital twins resulted in faster and significantly more accurate procedures that reduced recurrences of arrhythmias for patients, compared to traditional methods.

Getting past the barrier surrounding the eye is a difficult but necessary part of treating retinoblastoma (RB)—a form of eye cancer that is more common in children. Once the barrier is penetrated, RB responds well to treatment. However, current methods, such as injections, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, are painful and often cause vision loss and other serious side effects. But, a new method, described in a study published in Science Advances, might offer a safer, more effective way to treat RB.