Gaussian Mixture Counterfactual Generator
Jong-Hoon Ahn Akshay Vashist
We address the individualized treatment effect (ITE) estimation problem, focusing on continuous, multidimensional, and time-dependent treatments for precision medicine. The central challenge lies in modeling these complex treatment scenarios while capturing dynamic patient responses and minimizing reliance on control data. We propose the Gaussian Mixture Counterfactual Generator (GMCG), a generative model that transforms the Gaussian mixture model—traditionally a tool for clustering and density estimation—into a new tool explicitly geared toward causal inference. This approach generates robust counterfactuals by effectively handling continuous and multidimensional treatment spaces. We evaluate GMCG on synthetic crossover trial data and simulated datasets, demonstrating its superior performance over existing methods, particularly in scenarios with limited control data. GMCG derives its effectiveness from modeling the joint distribution of covariates, treatments, and outcomes using a latent state vector while employing a conditional distribution of the state vector to suppress confounding and isolate treatment-outcome relationships. GMCG shows promise for enhancing ITE estimation in precision medicine, offering a potential unified solution for personalized therapeutic strategies.
Gaussian mixture model, synthetic data generation, clinical trial, individual treatment effect, counterfactual generation