StrivePD’s new AI app feature may help manage Parkinson’s care
Monthly generated reports offer patients, doctors data to finetune treatment
Rune Labs has launched StrivePD-AI, a new feature in its StrivePD app that uses generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to create monthly clinical reports based on a continuous stream of observations that show how Parkinson’s disease is progressing in the app’s users over time.
The company is cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market its software tool, which uses motion sensors built into the Apple Watch to monitor tremor and other motor symptoms of Parkinson’s. This gives doctors access to data outside of clinical visits, helping them finetune treatment and care.
“We’re building StrivePD as a best-in-class care companion for Parkinson’s, and these new clinical reports will help inform patients in between clinician visits with personalized insights and up-to-date symptom trends,” Brian Pepin, Rune’s CEO, said in a company press release.
Rune’s GenAI algorithm uses Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 AI, or Large Language Model, to combine data on symptoms, medication side effects, and activities recorded by Apple Fitness or logged on StrivePD, such as walking or yoga, along with notes on blood pressure, sleep, and mood.
“The unfortunate reality is there is a structural shortage of specialists who can treat Parkinson’s, and the problem is getting worse. Most Parkinson’s patients struggle to get adequate access to care,” Pepin said. Access to care can be challenging, and more so for some groups of patients.
‘Empower patients to take more care into their own hands’
However, for Pepin, “there is huge potential in GenAI and Large Language Models to address these challenges and empower patients to take more care into their own hands, assisting in making better use of data, correlating symptoms, and communicating complex information in a user-friendly manner.”
After being tested with a limited number of patients earlier this year, StrivePD-AI is now available widely with the StrivePD app, with advanced features depending on each patient’s healthcare provider or insurance plan. Rune ensures data remain private by following rules about data protection and transparency.
“As a caregiver, I get excited whenever new technologies emerge that can shed light on my wife’s Parkinson’s,” said Dennis Tinley, a Parkinson’s caregiver. “These clinical reports provide us with a monthly summary into her well-being, allowing us to track her progress, assess the effectiveness of her medication, and share invaluable insights with our care team.”
For Tinley, “this isn’t just about data — it’s about empowering us to make informed decisions that can enhance her quality of life,” while for Kevin, a StrivePD user in Florida, having access to data has allowed “a proactive approach” to care.
“These new reports provide me with information that is succinct, yet comprehensive that I can share with my healthcare team,” Kevin said. “I have already been able to show my report to my provider who was able to adjust my medication regimen and timing based on the data, decreasing the severity of my tremors during the day.”
In addition to the clinical reports sent every month to patients by email, StrivePD-AI offers personalized tips, such as exercises to improve movement and ways to reduce the risk of falling. It also includes advice on to deal with mood and sleep changes, two common nonmotor symptoms of Parkinson’s.
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