Digital Pain Markers for Chronic Pain on the Horizon

A PPM Brief 

Evidation Health, a technology and services company based in San Mateo, California, is launching a 10,000-person chronic pain study to quantify real-life outcomes, according to a company release.

Called the Digital Signals in Chronic Pain, or DiSCover Project, researchers hope to develop digital biomarkers for chronic pain severity, pain flare-ups, and quality of life. The large-scale study will analyze everyday behavioral data, in combination with medical data, to help practitioners better understand outcomes in individuals living with chronic pain, according to the release.

“The widespread use of wearables, sensors, and digital health tools gives us an opportunity to quantify the real lives of patients who suffer from chronic pain — now a critically important public health condition in the US,” said Deborah Kilpatrick, PhD, CEO of Evidation Health, in the release.

The project will use the company’s proprietary technology to perform virtual studies using real-life data sources, such as devices, weather, and diet, in combination with patient-reported outcomes, genomic information, and lab results. The platform works by identifying digital signals linked to health outcomes, such as pain severity and flare-ups.