How Apple ResearchKit Could Change Science Forever

A recent Digital Trends report said that University of Pennsylvania professor Kathryn Schmitz recently sent 60,000 letters to recruit participants for a breast cancer study, but received just 300 positive responses.

However, this might change soon. Along with the unveiling of the Apple Watch, Apple Inc. AAPL presented its ResearchKit platform, which is said to turn the iPhone into a “powerful diagnostic tool.” Several apps based around this platform are designed to increase the figures in recruitment.

Related Link: This Expert Likes ResearchKit, Notes That Apple 'Will Sit In The Middle Of It All'

Take for example the Asthma Health app, a joint effort of Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine and LifeMap Solutions, a subsidiary of BioTime, Inc. Eric Schadt, a professor of genomics at the Icahn School who spearheaded the collaboration, told Digital Trends that by using the app, “over 3,500 people consented and enrolled in our research study in less than 72 hours! It would have taken us years to get 3,500 people enrolled the traditional way.”

Why Was It So Successful?

The new platform allows someone to partake in a clinical study from the comfort of his or her own house, for free.

DigitalTrends explained how these apps, particularly Asthma Health, work.

“Developed within the framework of Apple's ResearchKit, Asthma Health aims to revolutionize the way clinical studies are done. The app has multiple uses. On one hand, it teaches patients to self-monitor and stick to their treatment plans. ‘A message will pop up and say, ‘you set up your reminder for 5pm–-did you use your inhaler?’ says Yu-Feng Yvonne Chan, director of personalized medicine and digital health at Icahn Institute at Mount Sinai. When users tap the screen to confirm they’re in compliance, they get a smiley face, which Chan says should ‘promote positive behavioral changes and adherence to treatment plans.’

"On the other hand, Asthma Health can track patients’ symptoms, flare-ups, and the triggers that cause them, sending all that info to a database so researchers can devise personalized treatments. In the future, if a patient has a flare-up on a particular date in a particular location, the software would analyze the GPS data, weather, air quality, and other factors to identify a probable cause. ‘We would note the triggers on this particular date—heat, humidity, or source of pollution,’ Chan says. ‘We would see patterns emerging and hopefully would provide patents with personalized feedback—such as ‘you are sensitive to this location, try to avoid it.’”