Year 1 Pilots

NIH Research Highlight: 2024 NIH Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Research Progress Report – Understanding Risk and Protective Factors for Dementia | Spotlight: Blood pressure and dementia risk

The pilot project led by Ed Wang was spotlighted in the 2024 NIH Alzheimer's and Related Dementias annual research project report in the section focused on understanding the associated risk dementia factor of uncontrolled high blood pressure. Results from this early pilot study demonstrate the potential of smartphone-based blood pressure devices, which in the near future could help improve the accessibility of long-term blood pressure monitoring. This improved improved access to low-cost blood pressure monitoring has the potential to reduce a major contributing factor to dementia risk. Source: 2024 NIH Alzheimer's and Related Dementias Research Progress Report: Advances and Achievements

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New Product Versions: Sonde Health Introduces Innovative Cognitive Fitness Health Tracking Solution

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sonde Health is expanding its leading health monitoring platform beyond mental and respiratory fitness by introducing an innovative cognitive fitness tracker that allows users to monitor brain exertion, or cognitive effort, in real time. This new solution, called Sonde Cognitive Fitness, analyzes eight vocal characteristics from 30-second voice interactions and generates a score to provide insight into one’s cognitive state, helping people manage their mental well-being and productivity effectively. By tracking their cognitive fitness, individuals can identify and monitor cognitive effort levels, take steps to optimize their productivity and performance, and enhance their well-being by reducing cognitive strain. Sonde Cognitive Fitness launches as almost one in five people over age 50 worldwide is affected by mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and more than 55 million people worldwide are living with dementia — a figure that's projected to nearly triple by 2050. In early July, the U.S. Food…

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Oral Presentation: Precision Phenotyping of Mild Behavioral Impairment and the Early Detection of Dementia

Abstract: There is growing recognition of the importance of changes in behavior as an early clinical marker of the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Behavior symptoms may precede the onset of cognitive symptoms by as many as three years. However, these symptoms are often confused for primary psychiatric pathology and there is an urgent need for markers that can help quantify behaviors with the eventual goal of helping distinguish behavior changes related to psychiatric pathology from behavior changes related to the onset of dementia. This talk will summarize the state of knowledge on mild behavioral impairment, and present data from three studies demonstrating how a range of sensor-derived biomarkers can quantify subtle changes in behavior with precision. The talk will include case presentations around detection of apathy, agitation, pacing. It will also demonstrate how these markers…

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Grant Funding: a2 Collective Pilot Award for attachment-less smartphone blood-pressure monitoring advancement

The Billion Labs Inc team led by Ed Wang has received a GY3 pilot award to further develop and achieve FDA clearance for a novel zero-attachments, smartphone only solution, VibroBP, to enable ubiquitous, low-cost blood pressure monitoring. The VibroBP technology was a result of the GY1 pilot work on the BPClip. Limitations of the mechanical solution led to the software only innovation. Source: https://massaitc.org/2024/04/19/a-downloadable-oscillometric-bp-monitor-for-all-smartphones-with-no-attachments/#

Continue ReadingGrant Funding: a2 Collective Pilot Award for attachment-less smartphone blood-pressure monitoring advancement

Grant Funding: a2 Collective Pilot Award for “Creating a Framework for Large Language Models for Caregiver Support in Dementia (CARE-ALL)”

The team including Drs. Vahia and Sava and previous a2 Pilot awardee, Rippl (formerly known as Kinto) received GY3 pilot award to explore the use of LLMs to support caregivers of individuals with dementia. Source: https://massaitc.org/2024/04/18/creating-a-framework-for-large-language-models-for-caregiver-support-in-dementia/

Continue ReadingGrant Funding: a2 Collective Pilot Award for “Creating a Framework for Large Language Models for Caregiver Support in Dementia (CARE-ALL)”