Michael J. Fox Foundation Launches $10,000 Parkinson's Data Challenge

Proposals sought for impactful uses of patient data, collected with smartphones, in Parkinson's monitoring and treatment

NEW YORK, Feb. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) is launching a $10,000 research challenge to spur ideas for using patient data, collected using smartphones, in Parkinson's disease (PD) monitoring and treatment.

"Our Foundation is committed to developing opportunities for patients to contribute data about the real experience of Parkinson's disease, which researchers can leverage in pursuit of a cure," said Maurizio Facheris, MD, MSc, associate director of research programs at MJFF. "Many symptoms of Parkinson's disease can be simply and objectively measured with smartphones. We have such a data set and we're challenging the research community to help us put it to use."

Mobile phones are some of the most pervasive types of monitoring devices, with smartphones carrying basic sensors that can be used to measure and monitor many features of PD to give a window into a patient's life. Researchers, collaborating entrepreneurs and industry experts at Gecko Ventures and MIT have developed a basic collection application, and collected data from a group of Parkinson's patients and control subjects.

Now MJFF is challenging research teams to develop the best way to benefit patients and clinicians through analysis of these objective, passively collected data points. The provided data could, for example, be used to distinguish PD patients from control subjects or to quantify PD symptoms in a way that could enable the measurement of disease progression. Any meaningful use of the data to improve diagnosis, treatment or therapeutic development in Parkinson's is eligible for entry.

Submissions, Evaluation and Prizes

Researchers should use the data set as a means for monitoring and measuring the progression, stage, and/or behavior of patients with PD and distinguish them from control subjects. Submissions will be judged based on how well they answer the following questions:

A grand prize of $10,000 will be awarded to the team judged to have the most impactful use of the data. The winning team will also have the opportunity to present their findings at an MJFF-sponsored event.

Interested participants can view official contest rules and register at http://www.michaeljfox.org/datachallenge. The deadline for submissions is March 26, 2013.

Challenge Team

Go here to see the original:
Michael J. Fox Foundation Launches $10,000 Parkinson's Data Challenge