VivoSense, a trusted leader in the development, validation, and delivery of digital clinical measures, announced today that it has been awarded a research grant funded by the National Institute of Aging (NIA) and the Massachusetts Artificial Intelligence and Technology Center for Connected Care in Aging & Alzheimer’s Disease (MassAITC; grant number 5P30AG073107-02 Pilot A2).
This research, conducted in collaboration with the Center for Human Health & Performance at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, will develop machine learning methods to derive fit-for-purpose, real-world measures of physical functioning from wearable sensors in older adults with and without Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). It will set the stage for a longitudinal study to identify outcomes of walking behaviors and physical function that are meaningful to patients with AD, accurately quantifiable, and reflective of disease progression.
Physical function and the ability to perform activities of daily living are central to maintaining independence for all older adults. Wearable sensors provide an opportunity to improve how we study, treat, and care for vulnerable populations at risk of losing independence.
“By measuring what individuals do in their own real-world environments, the hope is that we can capture a more holistic picture of health, and can improve the connection between patients, caregivers and clinical evidence used to drive drug development. For patients with AD and their loved ones, their treatment goals are often to maintain quality of life and physical safety while continuing to live at home.
Wearable and connected technologies can help support these goals when assessing new therapies. Still, research must be done to demonstrate validity and acceptability of novel digital measures before wide-spread adoption can be achieved.”
~ Ieuan Clay, Director of Science at VivoSense.
Wearable and connected technologies support pharmaceutical companies in developing medicines that treat aspects of disease that are most meaningful to patients.
“There are huge unmet needs in Alzheimer’s drug development to identify outcomes that both matter to patients and are sensitive to treatment benefits and disease progression. How a person moves about and interacts with their real-world environment, even something as simple as their walking behavior can tell us a lot about their health and well-being.
A major goal of our research with MassAITC and the NIA is to perform the foundational work needed to ensure that we can accurately measure meaningful components of real-world behavior in a population that likely functions very differently than a healthy population.”
~ Jen Blankenship, Principal Investigator and Clinical Scientist at VivoSense.
Read more about the grant in this article, Massachusetts AI and Technology Center for Connected Care in Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Funds First Seven Pilot Projects.
Dudley Tabakin
Dudley Tabakin, MSc. is Chief Product Officer and co-founder of VivoSense and a fervent believer in “good data” over “big data” in the development of digital endpoints from wearable sensor technology.
LinkedIn Profile for VivoSense Awarded NIA/MassAITC Grant to Aid in Alzheimer’s Research