Shimmer Research introduces Verisense DHP to provide access to digital health ground-truth sensor data

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Nov 16 2022

Shimmer Research, a global leader in wearable technology for research applications, today announced the launch of its Verisense^® Digital Health Panel (DHP) to provide clinical researchers with access to raw, real-world, digital health ground-truth sensor data. These data will be combined with patient reported outcomes and real-world data, including tokenized medical records, claims data, and pharmacy records, to provide a complete longitudinal view of participant health.

Participant enrollment is already underway in this institutional review board (IRB) approved longitudinal study, which will be comprised of cohorts from different clinical studies and a population of healthy volunteers. Study participants will contribute wearable sensor data and monthly survey data to the Verisense DHP. Participant privacy is guaranteed by careful segmentation of information and tokenization.

We are working toward a world in which wearable sensors and other digital health technologies can tell people they are getting sick before they know it, and doctors can transition from reactively treating illnesses to proactively managing them. For that to occur, we need to capture reliable, minimally processed 'raw,' real-world data that can serve as a ground truth for any analysis validating new algorithms and comparing them head-to-head with current state of the art algorithms. The Verisense DHP will achieve that goal."

Geoffrey Gill, President of Shimmer Americas, and Co-founder of the Open Wearables Initiative (OWEAR)

Currently, most wearable devices use proprietary algorithms and processed data to measure steps and sleep patterns, which often give different results. For example, the Digital Medical Society's (DiMe's) Library of Digital Endpoints already contains 70 activity measures and 55 sleep measures.

"Healthcare stakeholders need to work together to create a transparent, ground truth dataset using raw data and open algorithms. This will enable the development of standardized digital biomarkers and endpoints in which regulators, payors, and patients can have more confidence and trust," Gill added.

Shimmer selected Schlesinger Clinical Research as its panel management partner for the Verisense DHP because Schlesinger has over 55 years of experience recruiting patients, with more than 400,000 active members and tracking more than 300 medical conditions.

"We understand the importance of providing access to a wide variety of patient types for conducting healthcare research," states Shannon Childs, Executive Vice President and Schlesinger Group's Clinical Division leader. "Partnering with groups like Shimmer Research allows us to contribute in a meaningful way to advance patient care. We know this will give patients a voice through surveys while also providing the opportunity to help build this real-world evidence database. It is an important step in improving patient outcomes over time."

DHP participants will initially be equipped with Verisense wearable sensors but other third-party devices that can contribute raw data will be added later. Verisense is a highly flexible, modular patent-pending platform, which was designed from the ground up to meet the specific needs of clinical trials and remote patient research. As a result, it places minimum burden on all the research stakeholders – sponsors, site staff, and participants. Verisense sensors are versatile and dependable, providing 24x7 access to high quality raw data.

Additional information about the Verisense DHP can be found at https://verisense.net/digital-health-panel. Shimmer Research experts will also be available to discuss different applications of the Verisense DHP at the Collaboration for Novel Solutions (CNS) Summit, which will be held from November 17-20 in Boca Raton, FL.