Indiana CTSI Announces Support of DigiBio in new RFA

Are you a researcher looking to further streamline your study’s design and collect more objective and multi-dimensional data from study participants?

The Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) has opened a new RFA for funding to use a new research tool from the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute (IBRI) and MavenSphere Inc. called DigiBio.

DigiBio is a HIPAA-compliant, cloud-based mobile and web application platform for researchers that aims to collect real-time, continuous and objective digital data from study participants. The platform provides a user-friendly clinical study management tool kit that researchers can use to customize their studies. DigiBio also automates a traditionally time-consuming process—for both researchers and study participants—of pen-and-paper surveys and phone call reminders, in addition to enabling the capture of data about study participants’ activities and environment (if consented) from connected devices.

Cian O’Donnell, MS, a digital consultant at the IBRI, said DigiBio allows researchers to add more objectivity to subjective measures in their studies, especially where measurements may not be available.

O’Donnell said the digital biomarker information collected by the iOS app provides for a more “3D” view of research participants’ health from:

• Surveys: Collect common or novel survey data and participant-reported outcomes (e.g. pain, depression scale, quality of life)
• Activity Tasks: Select from a range of activity tasks to measure cognition, motor function, fitness and more using validated assessments on a study participant’s smartphone (e.g. Stroop test, timed walk and knee range of motion)
• Passive Data: Collect geo location, physical activity, temperature and weather data, plus data from all HealthKit-enabled devices with study participant’s consent

Duration of access to the DigiBio platform will be negotiable depending on the defined research projects and their goals.