Merck is working with a digital health startup to see if smartphone data can be used to identify digital endpoints for Alzheimer’s drug development.
The research will use a research platform developed by Evidation Health, a start-up company that extracts health data from smartphones and wearable devices for virtual research.
This research will be used to determine whether digital measures can be used to detect and monitor the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease at an early stage.
Dr. Michael Egan, vice president of global clinical development for Merck’s Neurosciences, said in a press release that this collaboration will allow the company to explore “new and possibly faster ways to evaluate Alzheimer’s in development. Potential of candidate drugs for disease treatment”.
The research will use data collected from smartphones and wearable devices to recruit elderly people with and without cognitive impairments. Researchers will test whether these data can distinguish groups and be used to understand how individuals change over time.
Evidation declined to say what indicators the researchers will track, or how many people they plan to recruit to participate in the study.
This is not the first study conducted by Evidation related to Alzheimer’s disease. The company worked with Eli Lilly and Apple to test the ability of digital applications to detect cognitive impairment.in Preliminary results shared two years agoResearchers have found that some behaviors may indicate cognitive impairment, including typing speed, people’s first step in the day, and how much information they receive.
The company also conducted a trial with Johnson & Johnson See if Apple Watch can reduce the risk of stroke By detecting arrhythmia.
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