Erik Larsen, Sonde Health. Brad Dickerson, Massachusetts General Hospital. Bonnie Wong, Massachusetts General Hospital. The pilot project, conducted by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and Sonde Health, explored the use of a vocal biomarker platform to detect and monitor cognitive impairment in older adults.
About Billion Labs Inc. strives to reach the billions of people in the world through health monitoring solutions built on top of the sensors and computational capability of smartphones, transforming smartphones into the next billion medical devices. The technology at Billion Labs is supported by scientific research pioneered at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), a world leading institution on biomedical engineering research, where our founder/CEO Dr. Edward Wang directs the Digital Health Technologies Laboratory as a faculty member in the School of Engineering and Design. Billion Labs’ mission is to bring cutting-edge digital health tools through rigorous regulatory requirements to provide health monitoring solutions where traditional clinical tools cannot by augmenting remote/telehealth services with the ability to monitor vitals without expensive medical equipment. Website: https://www.billionlabsinc.com/
https://youtu.be/vvpCWUdphQ0?si=KDt2x3pLg8aM0HYC Abstract: The aging of the population, especially the increase in individuals aged 85 and beyond, has vast implications for our economic, social, and political systems. Clearly, the increased number of older individuals in our society is associated with many positive implications. Most older adults are independent, active, and want to remain productively engaged. There are also challenges associated with “population aging.” For example, the incidence of chronic disease increases with age, as does the likelihood of developing a functional limitation. Thus, there is a significant need to identify strategies to promote independence and well-being among aging adults. At the same time, that the population of older people is increasing we are witnessing an explosion in the development of technologies. Technology has become ubiquitous in all aspects of life and assuming increasing importance in society…
https://youtu.be/EpOYQnm0oJY?si=U0nU7Ao-LGkH30RC Abstract: Traditional paper-based cognitive assessments, while the current gold standard in clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), lack the sensitivity and ecological validity needed to detect subtle cognitive changes in preclinical stages. Dr. Kate Papp’s work highlights cutting-edge approaches leveraging digital technologies—ranging from AI-analyzed speech and digital pens to ecological momentary assessments and learning curve paradigms. Her team’s development of the Boston Remote Assessment for Neurocognitive Health (BRANCH) demonstrates how multi-day, web-based testing on participants’ own devices can identify diminished learning effects over days—correlating with AD biomarkers and predicting cognitive decline. This talk also addresses validation challenges, participant adherence, and data privacy considerations crucial for adoption in clinical trials. These insights underscore the potential of digital cognitive measures to accelerate early detection, improve trial efficiency, and support Alzheimer’s prevention efforts globally. Biography: Kathryn V.…
Among their 2022 Awardees, Inc 5000 listed Electronic Caregiver as #969 among the fastest growing private companies in America Source: https://www.inc.com/inc5000/2022#
https://youtu.be/sXAMmZZ5YEM?si=d5QDssWNCXVmchEP Abstract: Digital technologies offer unprecedented opportunities to revolutionize cognitive health monitoring and Alzheimer’s disease prevention. Current high-burden, clinic-based assessments can be augmented by passive engagement technologies—leveraging smartphones and their array of embedded sensors for continuous, unobtrusive data collection. At the Framingham Heart Study and BU Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, multi-sensor approaches combining smartphone applications, digital voice, eye-tracking, and in-home monitoring are being deployed to detect subtle cognitive and behavioral changes. Through the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative, a global minimal viable protocol has been launched, integrating digital and blood-based biomarkers across diverse populations. Data sharing via the Alzheimer’s Disease Data Initiative (ADDI) is accelerating discovery through open challenges and collaborative analytics. This paradigm shift emphasizes inclusivity, rethinking traditional study designs, and advancing from digital phenotyping to truly dynamic, multi-dimensional digital biomarkers. The long-term goal is early…
MassAITC is pleased to announce that the Fall 2022 pilot grant competition has now opened. An overview of the MassAITC pilot grant program is available at https://massaitc.org/grants. The request for proposals is available at https://massaitc.org/rfpf22/. An introductory webinar will be held in conjunction with the a2 Collective on July 14th at 3:00pm ET (click here to register). Round 1 project proposals are due August 15th, 2022 and can be submitted through the a2 Pilot Awards common application site. For key dates, details about the application process, and FAQs, click here.