23andMe’s apps to aid genetic research for Apple’s ResearchKit
pharmafile | March 22, 2016 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Research and Development | 23andME, Apple, genetics, research
Privately-held 23andMe has announced a new module for Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) open source ResearchKit software framework that allows scientists to seamlessly integrate genetic information into their app-based studies.
The Mount Sinai Asthma Health and Stanford Medicine’s MyHeart Counts apps will be the first to implement the module, the company said in a statement.
Anne Wojcicki, chief executive of 23andMe, says: “This new technology gives researchers a turnkey way to integrate genetics into their studies. This will enable research on a much broader scale. Incorporating genetics into a platform with the reach of ResearchKit will accelerate insights into illness and disease even further.”
In addition, the app-based PPD Act study led by the University of North Carolina (UNC) will use genetic testing to better understand why some women are impacted by postpartum depression.
Samantha Meltzer-Brody, director of the perinatal psychiatry programme at the UNC Center for Women’s Mood Disorders, comments: “There’s so much we still need to learn about postpartum depression and it may be DNA that provides the key to better understanding why some women experience symptoms and others do not.”
MyHeart Counts App
The MyHeart Counts app-based study will use genetic data to identify predisposition to heart conditions and measure the effects of physical activity and lifestyle on cardiovascular health. The data will be taken from the current 23andMe customers. Participants are asked to monitor a week’s worth of physical activity, every three months including a complete a six-minute walk fitness test if possible and provide risk-factor information. The app will provide a comprehensive summary of each user’s heart health and areas for improvement. According to 23andMe, more than 50 000 users have agreed to participate in the study in the US, Hong Kong and the UK.
Asthma Health App
The Asthma Health app, which was co-developed by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and LifeMap Solutions, will permit users with asthma to participate in a large-scale medical research study directly from the iPhone. The study tracks the pattern of symptoms in individuals and potential triggers for those symptoms. Researchers hope this will offer insight into new ways to personalize asthma treatment, the company said. The Asthma Health app will also educate asthma patients and help them with self-monitoring. To date, more than 8,800 individuals have joined the asthma research study in the US, UK, and Ireland – the three countries where the app is currently available, 23andMe said.
Anjali Shukla
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