Markus Reichhartinger came up with the idea of improving the treatment of Graves' disease using control technology approaches. As the treatment of this immune disorder requires regular blood checks and dose adjustments, it is ideal for automated or semi-automated concepts.
As part of my Master's thesis in 2019, I was the first person at the Institute of Control and Automation Technology to start working on this topic. This led to the development of a new mathematical model to describe the course of treatment in 2020. The model was published in 2022 and also forms the basis for a patent application, which is currently still in the application process in the EU (EP4391911A1).
It is the world's first model that was developed specifically for Graves' disease and can describe the entire course of treatment. Thanks to continuous further development, it is freely accessible via a web app - registration under thyroid.tugraz.at. In this web app, virtual treatments can be simulated and various treatment algorithms and strategies can be tested.
It is possible to compare different treatment approaches by doctors or algorithms. In addition, the web app offers inexperienced doctors the opportunity to learn about the targeted treatment of Graves' disease in a risk-free environment. A publication on this topic illustrates the added value of such comparisons and possible learning potential for young doctors.
Since 2020, the algorithms for dosage adjustment have been continuously improved and analytical validations have been carried out.
More on new dosing algorithms will be published this year. In addition, a new paper will be presented in a talk at Mathmod2025 in February. (https://www.mathmod.at/)
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