Macular Degeneration Treatment Simulation Project

What is this project?

This project simulates and analyzes treatment pathways for macular degeneration, with a focus on the drug Eylea (aflibercept). It helps researchers understand:

  • How different treatment protocols affect patient outcomes

  • The relationship between treatment intervals and vision outcomes

  • Resource utilization in eye clinics

Key Concepts

Simulation Approaches

  1. Agent-Based Simulation (ABS): Models individual patients and their disease progression

  2. Discrete Event Simulation (DES): Models clinic operations and resource constraints

Treatment Protocols

  • Pre-defined treatment schedules (loading phase, maintenance phase)

  • Rules for adjusting treatment intervals based on patient response

Data Analysis

  • Examines real-world treatment patterns

  • Analyzes visual acuity outcomes

  • Identifies clusters of similar treatment approaches

How It Works

  1. Configuration: Define treatment protocols and simulation parameters in YAML files

  2. Simulation: Run run_simulation.py to generate patient trajectories

  3. Analysis: Use run_eylea_analysis.py to examine treatment patterns and outcomes

  4. Visualization: Generate plots showing treatment intervals, vision changes, etc.

Project Structure

  • simulation/: Core simulation logic (ABS and DES implementations)

  • protocols/: Treatment protocol definitions

  • analysis/: Data analysis scripts

  • visualization/: Plot generation scripts

  • docs/: Project documentation

  • meta/: Project planning and documentation notes

Getting Started

  1. Install dependencies: pip install -r requirements.txt

  2. Run a simulation: python run_simulation.py protocols/simulation_configs/test_simulation.yaml

  3. Analyze results: python run_eylea_analysis.py

Where to Learn More

  • Check the full documentation for technical details

  • See TESTING.md for how to run tests

  • Examine example config files in protocols/simulation_configs/