What Are Digital Biomarkers?
Digital biomarkers include behavioral and physiological data that are measured or collected with the help of digital technology. The application of digital biomarkers has increased in recent years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. The digital devices used to collect the required data have also emerged in terms of technology and inbuilt features. This has benefited medical departments, especially in fields related to research, pharma or drug-related business, and digital healthcare, in many ways. Digital biomarkers can even be wearable, making it easy to understand and observe the measurements.
What Are the Uses of Digital Biomarkers?
The following are some of the benefits of digital biomarkers:
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Patient monitoring and diagnosis have become rapid and more accessible with the help of digital biomarkers.
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Digital wearable biomarker devices help people with long-term medical conditions like asthma (difficulty breathing due to airway inflammation) constantly monitor their internal conditions.
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Digital biomarkers play a crucial role in the new era of detecting diseases early. Even cognitive impairment-related conditions may be detected with the help of digital biomarkers. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia (loss of cognitive functioning) can be detected using digital markers.
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Digital biomarkers have contributed significantly to the field of clinical trials.
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Since early detection gets easy with the help of digital biomarkers, the person can adopt preventive measures to pause the worsening of a health condition and regain health. This plays more of a role in the case of cardiovascular diseases.
What Are the Types of Digital Biomarkers?
Digital biomarkers, based on the mode of usage, are divided into two categories: wearable and implantable. Wearable devices include health bands or smart watches with built-in facilities to monitor vital signs. Implantable devices require implantation within the body to do the job. A few examples of digital markers are as follows:
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Smart Glass: A smart glass is a wearable device with multiple built-in features. They can be head or eye-worn and may contain features similar to a smartphone. Smart glasses also contain a health tracking system with a provision for teleconsultation.
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Smartwatch: Smartwatches are the new addiction of the current generation. The built-in health tracking facility lets the user know about heart rate, pulse, etc. It may also be connected to other devices and monitors to which the results can be visualized clearly and enlarged.
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Smart Bracelet: Smart bracelets are usually called health bands. They can be worn as a bracelet to track health conditions. It may also develop an alert when rapid changes in vital health characteristics.
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Smart Shoes: Smart shoes look like regular shoes but with technology and health tethered to make them smart trackers. They are installed with sensors that can sense the atmosphere regarding sound, light, altitude, etc. The tracking system enabled in smart shoes helps track the user's activities, calories burned, etc.
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Smart Socks: Smart socks are socks installed with textile pressure sensors. These sensors monitor the pressure and nature of force the user exerts on walking or running. It also generates alerts in case of faulty posture or pressure.
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Continuous Glucose Monitoring System: A continuous glucose monitoring device is a wearable device that helps track blood glucose or sugar levels. It is mainly used by people with diabetes (a condition characterized by an increased blood glucose level). Since an uncontrolled increase in blood glucose levels can lead to multiple health complications, diabetes patients need regular tracking of their blood glucose levels. The device contains a sensor that should be placed under the skin to measure the blood sugar level of the fluid beneath the skin. From the sensor, the measurements get transmitted to a device. Specific mobile applications were also designed to monitor the blood sugar level.
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Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators: Implantable cardioverter defibrillators are battery-operated devices implanted in the chest to detect irregular heartbeats. In case of depleting heart rhythm, an implantable cardioverted defibrillator develops electric shock for restoration.
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Pedometer: A pedometer or step counter is a portable electromechanical or electronic device that has recently gained much attention. It is a motivating tool where users can set their step targets. Sports and physical activity enthusiasts benefitted from this as it helps to get a good idea about the daily physical activity based on the distance covered.
What Are Traditional Biomarkers?
Traditional biomarkers do the same job as digital biomarkers, except that they will be done in a clinical, hospital, or laboratory setting. A few examples of traditional biomarkers are as follows:
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An increased body temperature indicates that the person is having a fever.
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An elevated WBC (white blood cell) count indicates that the person suffers from an underlying infection. WBC count can be obtained by carrying out a blood test.
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A rise in ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) indicates that the body is under an inflammatory process.
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An increased troponin level is an indicator of heart-related conditions.
What Are Active and Passive Digital Biomarkers?
Passive digital biomarkers refer to the data collected with the help of wearable devices. The sensors installed within these devices detect mild actions done by the user. Tracking of oxygen saturation levels or heart rate is an example of a passive digital biomarker. On the other hand, active devices track prompt movements alone and monitor with the help of a transmitter device, like a smartphone, tablet, etc. For example, a smart bracelet or a health band detects the slight movement of the user to track their activity or covered steps status. They may even track the type of sleep that the person gets.
Conclusion
Biomarkers are anatomic, pathologic, or physiologic data that are measured and monitored for diagnostic purposes. The data collected with the help of technology-assisted devices is called digital biomarkers. Digital biomarker devices are installed with the required hardware or software components and help measure and monitor health-related data. Digital biomarkers are beneficial in detecting health issues early and increasing the efficiency of clinical trials. The use of such devices has increased in the current years in the form of smartwatches, health bands, continuous glucose monitoring systems, etc. They are also available in the form of implantable devices that can measure cardiac function.
