Netherlands-based Haga Teaching Hospital is teaming up with physIQ, and VitalConnect to conduct a study on how wearable biosensors and artificial intelligence (AI) can add to the care for cancer patients undergoing treatment. The study, funded by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, is looking to see how wearable technology can provide early clinical indication of adverse events sometimes linked with anti-cancer treatment.
In the investigator-initiated study, patients being treated with either erythrocyte transfusion or chemotherapy, either with or without immunotherapy, are provided VitalPatch® biosensors that collect and stream physiological data via physIQ’s pinpointIQ platform.
“Immunotherapy and other anti-cancer treatments offer great hope for patients managing hematological diseases,” said Dr. Martin Schipperus, Chair of Hematology at Haga Teaching Hospital. “However, these same powerful agents can also result in side effects that may impact patients’ ability to tolerate treatment. By monitoring patients this way, we hope to identify a novel approach to proactively identifying and managing adverse events that may otherwise negatively impact patient outcomes.”
Through the physIQ pinpointIQ solution, clinical-grade vital signs stream continuously, 24/7, from the VitalPatch biosensor to the cloud. Patients start wearing the biosensor several days before the treatment starts, allowing the physIQ AI-based analytics to develop a pre-treatment personalized baseline. Afterwards, patients continue to wear the VitalPatch, both during and after treatment in the clinic. Healthcare professionals can continuously monitor the patients’ physiological response throughout treatment and afterwards by comparing each patient to their own personalized baseline.
“Artificial intelligence-based analytics and wearable biosensors hold great promise for monitoring at-risk patient populations at home, at work, in the clinic, and all places in between,” said Dr. Stephen Ondra, Chief Medical Officer of physIQ. “The oncology space is one that has enormous unmet need with respect to how we deliver care and support patients as they undergo and manage these potentially life-saving therapies. Too often, patients must discontinue therapy because of adverse events that could be avoided or minimized through early detection. We are excited by the prospect of evolving the standard of care to use personalized proactive information to improve outcomes.”
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The pinpointIQ solution and the VitalPatch biosensor are being deployed in various clinical environments to help clinicians care for at-risk patients. The solution is also being provided to pharmaceutical and medical device companies that are integrating real-world data sets into clinical trials.
“Every year we see better treatments available in oncology which is very encouraging,” added Schipperus, “but beyond drugs alone there is need to improve the patient experience and we are excited about the innovations now available to potentially improve how these patients are cared for.”
