Data Analytics: MSPs Should Expect Growing Opportunity In Clinical Trials

By Megan Williams, contributing writer

Mobile health wearables have grown a lot from just tracking exercise habits. Advances in data processing and analytics have opened up deeper levels of use of wearables, and clinical trials are no exception. According to MDDI Online, clinical trial software company, Medidata is pushing things along in its partnerships with leading pharmaceutical companies as well as with medical device and diagnostic companies and some academic centers.

Diabetic Compliance Examined

Medidata has completed an eight-week study that examined the behavior of diabetic patients wearing activity trackers. The study involved 20 patients with type-2 diabetes. The patients were given activity trackers to wear and their results were examined. It was found that more than 50 percent lost weight and also that qualitative information including patient observations, sleep, and movement were successfully transmitted to the Medidata Clinical Cloud platform with regulation guidelines.

The study, run by Miami Research Associates, used “a leading consumer-grade activity tracker,” smartphones for text updates, and the Medidata Patient Cloud app for patient self-reporting purposes. Their director of endocrinology and nutrition, Diane Krieger, MD, explained some of the key differences of this study in a press release, “In the past we have had to rely on subject reports of physical activity during clinical trials, and we know that this method is problematic. I was excited to use objective measurements of physical activity during the MOVE-2014 trial to attempt to capture activity in a more rigorous and standardized way.”

Applying The Data

Medidata plans to take what they’ve learned and use that information in areas including training on device use and in client research trials. They’ve actually already begun some work for Phase I-IV trials globally and have enabled data collection from devices including Garmin, ActiGraph, Vital Connect, Fitbit, and the Apple ResearchKit. The long-involved mHealth company has also completed a collaborative method development project in conjunction with GlaxoSmithKline plc.

For MSPs

MSPs working in the world of data should pay attention to Medidata’s work and partnerships. Medical device companies offer the potential for a new and growing client base that is rapidly expanding into new areas of use of their products and information.

The Medidata example is much more than just data tracking though. Their technology enables secure data gathering and auditing before the mapping process. According to Kara Dennis, managing director of mHealth, “Statisticians and data scientists at our sponsors can form a comprehensive picture of what’s happening to the patient. Are they getting better as a result of therapy? Are they getting worse? That’s kind of the foundational question they’re looking to answer, which is — can they tell something of meaning clinically from this mobile health data?”