Tohoku University Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association and MICIN Corporation Launch Joint Research for Data Acquisition through Wearable Device Implementation
December 23, 2020
Tohoku University Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, National University Corporation
Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association
MICIN Corporation
Key Points of the Presentation
- Tohoku University Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, a national university corporation, Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, and MICIN Corporation signed a joint research agreement on October 20, 2020, and started a joint research project to implement wearable devices in the cohort study of the Tohoku Medical Megabank Project.
- The implementation of wearable devices will accelerate research to enable the acquisition of objective and temporal digital biomarker data on lifestyle habits. This will further advance the investigation of the relationship between lifestyle habits and MRI image data, etc., and promote the further creation of innovative pharmaceuticals and medical technologies.
Contents
Tohoku University Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization (Director-General: Masayuki Yamamoto, "ToMMo"), Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (Chairman: Joji Nakayama, "JPMA"), and MICIN Corporation (President: Seigo Hara, "MICIN") will sign a joint research agreement on October 20, 2020, The research is aimed at acquiring data through the implementation of wearable devices.
ToMMo and JPMA will collaborate on the TMM project ([Reference] <About the Tohoku Medical Megabank ("TMM") Project>), which focuses on sleep, activity habits, brain MRI images, cognitive and psychological functions and physiological tests among various lifestyle habits that affect individual health. In this joint research, we plan to select participants in the Brain and Mental Health Study and analyze their sleep and activity habits based on the information in the questionnaire. While the lifestyle data from these questionnaires is very important as basic data for the TMM project, it is based on the subjective responses of individual participants, which has limitations in conducting objective and quantitative research. Therefore, as a means of objectively and quantitatively acquiring daily lifestyle data, we aim to easily and objectively acquire data on participants' sleep and daytime activity status by utilizing wearable devices, which are becoming widely used in recent years for general and medical purposes. We have started a joint research project with MICIN to verify the implementation of wearable devices with the aim of acquiring data on participants' sleep and daytime activity status easily, objectively, and quantitatively by using wearable devices, which can be worn on the body and acquire information.
Outline of Research Plan
The outline of the joint research plan is as follows. The research period is until March 2021.
Research organization
ToMMo
JPMA and DAIICHI SANKYO CO., LTD., Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma, TAKEDA PHARMACEUTICAL K.K., JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICAL K.K.
MICIN
Details of the Study
Toward the realization of lifestyle data acquisition using wearable devices from TMMo cohort survey participants, a feasibility study will be conducted to evaluate various operational tasks and secure data acquisition and management processes in the survey at the time of device implementation. Wearable devices have been suggested to have future potential as a means of acquiring sleep and physical activity data on a daily basis. Participants in the Brain and Mental Health Study who are 65 years of age or older at the time of participation in the study and who have given their consent to participate in the study will be the eligibility criteria, and we aim to enroll the first case on December 14, 2020 and the maximum of about 30 cases by the end of enrollment of the final participants (scheduled for mid-February, 2021).
Background of the Joint Research
Since FY2011, ToMMo and Iwate Medical University have been conducting a health survey of 150,000 local residents, mainly in the affected areas, with the understanding and cooperation of local residents, in conjunction with the rehabilitation of medical care and reconstruction of medical institutions in the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. At the same time, a biobank of biological samples, health information, etc. is being built, with the aim of establishing a next-generation medical system for drug discovery research and personalized medicine by combining and analyzing genome, health, and medical information. Meanwhile, in January 2019, the JPMA formulated the "JPMA Policy Proposal 2019" and announced that it will work on cutting-edge research and development incorporating innovative technologies such as health and medical big data, AI, and genome medicine, regarding the ecosystem built by a wide range of stakeholders from industry, academia, and government. The meeting was attended by over 100 participants from the industry, academia, and government. The goal is to create a favorable environment in which innovation in the life science field can extend people's healthy life expectancy and economic growth, which in turn will create the next round of innovation and further development of science.
ToMMo and JPMA signed a collaboration agreement on January 31, 2020, to promote next-generation medicine, and have been working on industry-academia collaboration projects promoted by ToMMo and JPMA regarding next-generation medicine (personalized prevention and personalized medicine). In March 2020, the two parties launched a joint research project to analyze the relationship between sleep and activity habits, which are among the various lifestyle habits that affect individual health, and the basic data of the TMM project, which focuses on brain MRI images, cognitive and psychological functions, and physiological tests. In this joint research, we plan to analyze sleep and activity habits based on information obtained from responses to questionnaires. Therefore, we have to take a look at the data of the daily lifestyle of the participants.
Therefore, we believe it is important to obtain such daily lifestyle data objectively and quantitatively, and have focused on wearable devices, which can be worn on the body to obtain information. The wearable device makes it possible to easily and objectively obtain quantitative data on participants' sleep and daytime activity status.
ToMMo, JPMA, and MICIN have invited MICIN, which has expertise in building data linkage systems with wearable devices, acquiring and managing data in a secure environment, and expertise in implementation operations, as a partner in this research. ToMMo, the Pharmaceutical Cooperative Union of Japan, and MICIN have decided to launch a joint research project to verify the practical feasibility of wearable device implementation.
This joint research will be conducted on a small scale as a pilot study, and based on the results, the possibility of using wearable devices in cohort surveys as a whole will be examined. The implementation of wearable devices will accelerate the research to enable objective and temporal digital biomarker data acquisition related to lifestyle habits. This will further advance the research on the relationship between lifestyle habits and MRI image data, etc., and promote the further creation of innovative pharmaceuticals and medical technologies.
Reference
About the Tohoku Medical Megabank (TMM) Project
The TMM Project aims at reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake and realization of personalized prevention and medical care. Tohoku University Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization and Iwate Medical University Iwate Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization are the implementing institutions of the TMM project. The TMM Project has been conducted by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), which has been serving as the research support organization for the project since fiscal year 2015.
About Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association
JPMA is a voluntary association of 72 R&D-oriented pharmaceutical companies (as of December 1, 2020). established in 1968, JPMA has contributed to global healthcare through research and development of innovative new drugs for ethical use under the motto "Realization of patient-participatory medicine".
JPMA is developing multifaceted measures to solve various problems common to the pharmaceutical industry, to deepen understanding of pharmaceuticals, and to collaborate internationally. In addition, MICIN is committed to the sound development of the pharmaceutical industry, particularly by strengthening its advocacy activities for the realization of innovation promotion policies, addressing internationalization, and enhancing its public relations system.
About MICIN Corporation
MICIN, Inc. was founded in 2015 by Seigo Hara, a physician and CEO. MICIN operates an application business that handles online medical treatment and drug administration guidance, a data solution business that analyzes and utilizes medical data through AI and other means, and a digital solution business for clinical development of pharmaceutical products. We aim to realize our vision of "a world where all people can live and die with dignity. We aim to realize our vision of "a world where all people can live with satisfaction and live their final days to the fullest.