Rune Labs, which specializes in precision medicine for Parkinson’s disease (PD), has launched of a clinical program with Parkinson’s Foundation.
The goal is to “accelerate the discovery of genetic and digital biomarkers for PD that can be used to provide breakthroughs in diagnostics, therapy development, and clinical trial design.” By mapping gene variants to real-world symptom and medication data, the study will reveal wearable-based biomarker correlations in Parkinson’s patients.
The study, supported through the Global Parkinson’s Genetics Program (GP2), will leverage Rune Labs’ StrivePD AI-driven software and PD GENEration, the genetic testing and counseling initiative from the Parkinson’s Foundation.
The GP2 program, one of three Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) initiative-funded programs implemented by The Michael J. Fox Foundation, aims to improve understanding of the genetic architecture of PD by integrating ancestrally diverse populations to address a large gap in scientists’ knowledge about the disease, according to Brian Pepin, CEO of Rune Labs. Led by Dr. Andrew B. Singleton and Dr. Cornelis Blauwendraat, GP2’s partnership with the Parkinson’s Foundation will further increase the ancestral diversity of global PD genetic data, he adds.
Leveraging StrivePD, participants will use an iPhone and Apple Watch to track motor symptoms passively, including tremor and dyskinesia, along with self-reported activities like mood and medications, while completing remote surveys and rating scales on their health and Parkinson’s symptoms. Through PD GENEration, participants will undergo genetic testing and counseling by providing a blood sample that will be used to test for clinically validated PD-related genetic variants. The study may help participants determine eligibility for genetically based clinical studies, Pepin says.
StrivePD closes the gap in Parkinson’s care caused by infrequent specialist visits and unpredictable symptoms. Through AI-driven monitoring, the software care ecosystem combines Apple Watch data with the StrivePD app to track FDA-cleared metrics like tremor and dyskinesia, plus self-reported daily routines, to deliver real-time insights and proactive treatment guidance.
Pepin says that by providing insights into symptoms at all hours of the day, StrivePD helps patients manage symptoms between visits, improve medication adherence, and avoid unnecessary ER trips, allowing them to take control of their disease and ease the pressure on the healthcare system.
