A new trial of wearable technologies has opened today for patients with cancer in Greater Manchester.
Called, EMBRaCE, (Enhanced Monitoring for Better Recovery and Cancer Experience), the project is a collaboration between Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, and The University of Manchester.
The trial is focused on commercially-available health sensors and devices, which could produce a ‘digital fingerprint of vital signs’ to allow doctors to monitor and assess the progress of their patients. The technologies involved can assess vital signs such as electrocardiograms (ECGs), heart rate, temperature, physical activity levels and sleep.
Technologies under investigation in the trial include: a smart ring designed by the company Oura; a hybrid smartwatch known as Withings ScanWatch, and the Isansys system, which can be worn on a patient’s chest.
The EMBRaCE project – funded by the GM Cancer Digital Innovation Fund, UK Research and Innovation, and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), in collaboration with Aptus Clinical and Zenzium Ltd – is initially open to blood cancer, lung, and colorectal cancer patients
Dr Anthony Wilson, Consultant in Anaesthesia and Critical Care at Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI), is the clinical lead for the project.
On the trial, he says: “Cancer places a huge burden on the lives of people everywhere. This study uses cutting-edge technology that can monitor people during their treatment, with devices that they can wear all the time.
“We hope that it will provide new insights into how people cope with cancer treatment and what we can do to improve their recovery.”
Dr Michael Merchant, Senior Lecturer in Proton Therapy Physics, at The University of Manchester, added: “This trial will assess if the latest wearable technology has a role in cancer care.
“It will help us to identify ways that clinical staff can individualise treatment before, during, and after therapy.
“We will find out if 24/7 data from these wearable sensors can be used to support patient recovery and provide accurate measurement outside clinic.
“It could even support the development of new cancer treatments by developing a digital platform for clinical trials in cancer involving wearable devices or fitness trackers.”
HTN heard more about Greater Manchester’s innovation across healthcare when we were joined by Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) Trust for a live webcast on digital strategy, last spring.
Manchester University NHS FT has also been prominent within the health tech news space across the last year, as the HTN team also covered stories on its data sharing collaboration with Rinicare and its selection of Hyland Healthcare’s OnBase content services platform and image capture tool.
