Biogen has announced a new cooperation with Apple in the form of a cognitive health study. This study will use the data that the iPhone and Apple Watch collect from the participants to determine if the watch is capable of detecting biomarkers that may indicate losses in cognitive health.
The importance of hardware and software in health
This study is one more within the clinical research program that Apple has underway in the United States. Thanks to it, companies try to find patterns in the data that Apple Watch sensors can collect and correlate them to draw valuable conclusions. Jeff Williams, COO of Apple has expressed himself like this:
Working in collaboration with Biogen, we hope this study can help the medical community better understand a person’s cognitive performance simply by getting them engaged with their Apple Watch and iPhone. We are looking forward to learning about the impact our technology can have on delivering better health outcomes through better detection of cognitive health decline.
The truth is that beyond this particular study, there seem to be more and more applications that the Apple Watch has in the field of medicine and all of this revolves around software. A few years ago, when we saw the first iPhone they had a gyroscope, that is, they could tell if they were with the screen up or down. At the time we gracefully discovered the three-axis gyro that Steve Jobs used to play Jenga. Years later, thanks to this same gyroscope, slightly evolved of course, the Apple Watch is capable of measuring with total precision the steps we take in a day.
And not only the steps, it is capable of measuring falls, turning on the clock screen when we look at it, counting the meters advanced while swimming in a pool and, apparently, detecting the cognitive health of a person. The truth is that we are all waiting for the next generation of Apple Watch to carry even more sensors, but it seems that the impact on health and its analysis will come from the hand of software, models trained to use the data we already have to draw conclusions. more and more concrete.
Like this one, Apple’s studies, although for now only available in the United States, are an excellent resource for the scientific community when developing these detection algorithms. In the case of the Biogen study, which will begin in a few months, being able to analyze the first symptoms and signs of a decline in cognitive health with the scope of participants and data that only Apple users can provide is undoubtedly excellent news.
Tim Cook has already said in several interviews that Apple’s greatest contribution will be in the medical field. And one of the most important pillars, if not the first of this contribution, is the clinical studies that are being carried out. True, they are, for many, totally unknown, but of vital importance. Who would have told us what an Apple Watch is capable of.