The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and LifeMap Solutions, a
subsidiary of BioTime (NYSE MKT:BTX), today announced the launch of a
large-scale medical research study that uses the new ResearchKit
framework developed by Apple to make it easy for individuals who
suffer from asthma to participate in studies right from their iPhone.
The Asthma Health app is designed to facilitate asthma patient education
and self-monitoring, promote positive behavioral changes, and reinforce
adherence to treatment plans according to current asthma guidelines. The
study tracks symptom patterns in an individual and potential triggers
for these exacerbations so that researchers can learn new ways to
personalize asthma treatment.
“We are delighted to be amongst a select group of institutions to
pioneer the use of this new ResearchKit framework,” said Eric Schadt,
PhD, the Jean C. and James W. Crystal Professor of Genomics at the Icahn
School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Founding Director of the
Icahn Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology. “This app is the
first of a series of disease-related medical research apps we plan to
develop, incorporating electronic consent or ‘e-consent’ to enable us to
recruit, consent, and enroll research participants remotely via the app
without direct, in-person, contact during any phase of the study. Now we
can reach all corners of the globe to recruit research volunteers and
conduct medical research with sample sizes that are orders of magnitude
greater than previously possible for a fraction of the cost.”
ResearchKit is a new software framework designed by Apple that helps
doctors and scientists gather data more frequently and more accurately
from participants using iPhone apps. When granted permission by the
user, the Asthma Health app can access health data from HealthKit
to track asthma inhaler use measured by third-party devices and apps, or
can take advantage of the accelerometer, microphone, gyroscope and GPS
sensors built into iPhone to gather other relevant health data.
“This innovative study will explore how researchers can conduct clinical
studies at an unprecedented scale by unshackling science from
brick-and-mortar constraints,” said Corey Bridges, CEO of LifeMap
Solutions. “The benefits of flexibility and portability that have made
mHealth apps so successful for consumers in the past have the same
potential to significantly improve the health of patients and
revolutionize medical research.”
LifeMap Solutions is working with the Icahn Institute for Genomics and
Multiscale Biology at Mount Sinai to develop big data analytics
algorithms that will process the unprecedented volume of study data.
These algorithms could lead to new discoveries about asthma and improved
chronic disease management, and help optimize individual patient care
and choices. The partnership combines the experience of LifeMap
Solutions in consumer behavior, app analytics, and design with Mount
Sinai’s renowned expertise in medical research.
“We hope that over time, users of our Asthma Health app will experience
less asthma-related distress, better symptom control, improved quality
of life, and fewer unexpected medical visits,” said Yu-Feng Yvonne Chan,
MD, PhD, Director of Personalized Medicine and Digital Health at the
Icahn Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology at Mount Sinai. “We
hope that our app will enable asthma patients to gain greater insight
into their individual condition and take charge of their own health.
Furthermore, this could be one of the largest real-world epidemiological
studies of asthma and offer researchers invaluable insight into the
disease process.”
The Asthma Health app is available for download today on the App Store.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
The Mount Sinai Health System is an integrated health system committed
to providing distinguished care, conducting transformative research, and
advancing biomedical education. Structured around seven member hospital
campuses and a single medical school, the Health System has an extensive
ambulatory network and a range of inpatient and outpatient services—from
community‐based facilities to tertiary and quaternary care.
The System includes approximately 6,600 primary and specialty care
physicians, 12‐minority‐owned free‐standing ambulatory surgery centers,
over 45 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York
City, Westchester, and Long Island, as well as 31 affiliated community
health centers. Physicians are affiliated with the Icahn School of
Medicine at Mount Sinai, which is ranked among the top 20 medical
schools both in National Institutes of Health funding and by U.S. News &
World Report.
For more information, visit http://www.mountsinai.org,
or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
About LifeMap Solutions, Inc.
LifeMap Solutions is developing innovative digital therapeutics in
partnership with the Icahn Institute for Genomics and Multiscale
Biology, which is located within the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount
Sinai. LifeMap digital therapeutic solutions integrate health and
wellness information with care team guidance into a secure mHealth
platform that empowers the patient to make better choices to achieve
optimal health outcomes. LifeMap Solutions is a subsidiary of BioTime,
Inc. LifeMap Solutions is headquartered in San Jose, California. For
more information, please visit www.lifemap-solutions.com.
About BioTime, Inc.
BioTime, Inc., a pioneer in regenerative medicine, is a clinical-stage
biotechnology company. BioTime and its subsidiaries are leveraging their
industry-leading experience in pluripotent stem cell technology and a
broad intellectual property portfolio to facilitate the development and
use of cell-based therapies and gene marker-based molecular diagnostics
for major diseases and degenerative conditions for which there presently
are no cures. The lead clinical programs of BioTime and its subsidiaries
include: OpRegen®, currently in a Phase I/IIa trial for the
treatment of the dry form of age-related macular degeneration; AST-OPC1,
currently in a Phase I/IIa trial for spinal cord injuries; Renevia™,
currently in a pivotal trial in Europe as an injectable matrix for the
engraftment of transplanted cells to treat HIV-related lipoatrophy; and
PanC-Dx™ cancer diagnostics, which are completing initial clinical
studies for bladder, breast, and lung cancer. AST-VAC2, a cancer
vaccine, is in the pre-clinical trial stage.
BioTime’s subsidiaries include: publicly-traded Asterias
Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE MKT: AST), developing pluripotent stem
cell-based therapies in neurology and oncology, including AST-OPC1 and
AST-VAC2; Cell Cure Neurosciences Ltd., developing stem cell-based
therapies for retinal and neurological disorders, including OpRegen®;
OncoCyte Corporation, developing PanC-Dx™ cancer diagnostics; LifeMap
Sciences, Inc., developing and marketing an integrated on-line database
resource for biomedical and stem cell research; LifeMap Solutions, Inc.,
a subsidiary of LifeMap Sciences, developing mobile health (mHealth)
products; ES Cell International Pte Ltd, which has developed cGMP
compliant human embryonic stem cell lines that are being marketed by
BioTime for research purposes under the ESI BIO branding program;
OrthoCyte Corporation, developing therapies to treat orthopedic
disorders, diseases and injuries; and ReCyte Therapeutics, Inc.,
developing therapies to treat a variety of cardiovascular and related
ischemic disorders.
Copyright Business Wire 2015