The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently released a list of eight recommendations to change the direction of Alzheimer’s research. The list covers a range of areas, from encouraging more collaboration and transparency among researchers, to developing Big Data tools and platforms to benefit from large-scale collections of biological data and other relevant information.
One recommendation particular is worth noting: “Leverage the use of wearable sensors and other mobile health technologies to inform discovery science as well as research on Alzheimer’s disease care.” This is important in that it acknowledges the potential value of data generated by wearable Health Tech devices, both for this disease and “discovery science” in broader terms.
Here is another interesting recommendation from the list: ” Engage citizens, caregivers and patients as equal partners in Alzheimer’s disease research.” This call for a democratization of scientific research, and the acknowledgement that people other than research scientists can make meaningful contributions, could greatly extend the reach of the resources we have to find better ways to treat and even prevent Alzheimer’s.
