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Will Apple’s ResearchKit Be a Game Changer for HealthTech?

posted in: HEALTH Tech, IOT Tech, Tech Trends

 

Personalised healthcare is likely to transform the way we prevent and treat diseases in the future as IoT and Wearables become increasingly pervasive.

Personalised healthcare will transform how we prevent and treat diseases Click To Tweet

With smart monitoring devices already integrating seamlessly into our routines, companies are now looking at the best way to harness the wealth of data that they collect for research purposes.

Tech companies are looking to harness data for research purposes Click To Tweet

researchkit

Personalised medicine was worth over $1 billion in 2014 and the market is expected to double by 2022 Click To Tweet

Apple’s ResearchKit is one such initiative, giving researchers direct access to relevant data for their studies (daily step counts, heart rate, calorie use, etc.) and offering developers an open source framework that integrates seamlessly with HealthKit to allow them to create their own medical research apps.

Apple’s ResearchKit gives researchers direct access to relevant data for their studies Click To Tweet

In the two years since its launch, the kit has already proven useful for clinical trials, with hundreds of thousands of people contributing data for studies ranging from diabetes to epilepsy, melanoma, asthma and breast cancer.

Apple ResearchKit kit has already proven useful for clinical trials Click To Tweet

GSK-iphone-parade-app-teaser-001

It’s surprising it took big pharma companies so long to get on board Click To Tweet

It’s somewhat surprising, then, that it has taken big pharma companies so long to get on board. Recently, however, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced that it was launching a new research app on the platform to help monitor rheumatoid arthritis patients.

GSK’s PARADE (Patient Rheumatoid Arthritis Data from the Real World) study aims to tackle this debilitating disease by learning from patient insights and therapeutic goals. They are currently seeking volunteers (aged over 21 and diagnosed with RA) to monitor their health and share those insights into how RA affects their lives.

A GSK study will collect data from Rheumatoid Arthritis patients using iPhone sensors Click To Tweet

This data will be collected through a mixture of surveys and iPhone sensors which will track common RA symptoms such as fatigue, joint pain and overall mood. The study will not provide diagnosis or treatment, but will allow patients to view their own study data and learn more about their condition.

The PARADE study will track 300 patients over a three-month period Click To Tweet

The study will track 300 patients over a three-month period. GSK believes that collecting data from mobile devices in this way will in future help to alleviate the burden on patients by reducing the need for frequent doctor visits during clinical studies. More broadly, as sensors – and even implants – become increasingly sophisticated, doctors will be able to accurately monitor patient progress continuously and much more efficiently, with minimum intrusion upon their daily routine.

The prospects are exciting, not only from a quality of life perspective, but considering the personalized medicine market was valued at over USD 1 billion in 2014 and is expected to more than double by 2022.

Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio and @techtrends_tech on Twitter.