- - elevateMS study allows researchers to collect sensor-based movement data and symptoms directly from participants without the need for clinic visits
- - Study aims to improve understanding of daily challenges people with multiple sclerosis face through real-time data collection
EAST HANOVER, N.J., Aug. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Novartis announced today the launch of a mobile research study for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) that collects data via their smartphone, without the need for clinic visits. The study, Evaluation of Evidence from Smart Phone Sensors and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Participants with Multiple Sclerosis (elevateMS), is designed to collect sensor-based data from physical tasks and symptoms. It aims to improve understanding of the daily challenges patients with MS can have and to uncover new potential measurements of treatment effectiveness through real-time data collection from participants in their everyday life.
The elevateMS study, which was developed in partnership with Sage Bionetworks, uses a mobile application that was built on the Apple ResearchKit®* platform. This emerging digital smartphone research platform allows study participants to contribute to research from home or on the go. At the same time, it enables researchers to collect data in the participant's everyday environment. To download the app and enroll in the study, please visit https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/elevatems/id1233909485?ls=1&mt=8.
The mobile app was designed with input from patients, neurologists and advocates. Patients commented on the app's user interface, what the study should measure, and how the app should track patient activity and disease symptoms.
"As physicians, we always want to know how our patients with MS are doing on the treatments we prescribe," said Stanley Cohan, MD, PhD, medical director, Providence Multiple Sclerosis Center, Portland, Oregon. "With the elevateMS app, study participants can frequently document their symptoms in a personal health story. In turn, this data may provide researchers with new ways to look at disease progression and treatment effectiveness," added Dr. Cohan, who serves as a scientific advisor to the study.
The elevateMS study is open to US participants with and without MS who can download the application from the Apple App Store and provide their mandatory informed consent. Participants have a right to leave the study anytime they like. Using smartphones, the elevateMS application will capture participant responses to questionnaires, passive and active sensor-based movement data, and functional performance tasks completed by the participants. Participants will be able to use the application to view how their data changes over time. Researchers will use data from all participants to understand what it is like to live with MS. The names of participants will be replaced with a random code, so the researchers and study sponsor Novartis won't know the individual's identity.
Additional information about the elevateMS study is available at www.elevatems.org.
Novartis is a leader in MS with three approved medications, along with additional investigational therapies in early and late phases of development.
About Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis, a chronic disease of the central nervous system, affects around 400,000 people in the US1. Approximately 85 percent of people with MS are initially diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS, where the immune system attacks healthy tissue2. This form of MS is a potentially debilitating condition characterized by relapses with worsening neurological function, followed by periods of remission where patients partially or fully recover, during which the disease remains stable2.
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*ResearchKit is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc.
About Novartis
Located in East Hanover, NJ Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation is an affiliate of Novartis which provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, cost-saving generic and biosimilar pharmaceuticals and eye care. Novartis has leading positions globally in each of these areas. In 2016, the Group achieved net sales of USD 48.5 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 9.0 billion. Novartis Group companies employ approximately 118,000 full-time-equivalent associates. Novartis products are available in approximately 155 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.
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References
- Tullman M. Overview of the epidemiology, diagnosis and disease progression associated with multiple sclerosis. Am J Managed Care. 2013 Feb;19(2 Suppl):S15-20.
- National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) web site. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS). http://www.nationalmssociety.org/What-is-MS/Types-of-MS/Relapsing-remitting-MS. Visited August 14, 2017.
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