Funded Studies
Study Rationale: In the WATCH-PD study, we evaluated the use of wearable digital devices to monitor symptoms and quality of life in individuals with early, untreated Parkinson’s disease (PD). This planning grant will support the design of a remote extension of WATCH-PD, leveraging the rich dataset already collected. Combined with qualitative interviews and surveys, this data will enable us to evaluate the meaningfulness of the digital tasks to our participants and how their relevance may change over time.
Hypothesis: We hypothesize that evaluating the meaningfulness of digital measures monitored in the WATCH-PD study will facilitate the use of such remote systems in developing more effective, relevant treatments for people with PD.
Study Design: To design the most robust trial, we will employ numerous advisory teams, including the Critical Path for PD, to develop protocols. We will also spend time in budget development, patient recruitment and IRB submission.
Impact on Diagnosis/Treatment of Parkinson’s disease: Digital tools can provide objective, sensitive, real-world measures of PD. Better measures could lead to more efficient, patient-centric and timely evaluation of therapies.
Next Steps for Development: Extension of WATCH-PD with longitudinal digital assessments and participant input will help identify and inform use of digital measures to evaluate much needed therapies for individuals with PD, a rapidly growing population.