The Best Digital Biomarkers Papers of 2017

Abstract

The use and evaluation of digital biomarkers, objective and quantifiable measures of biology, and health collected through digital devices is growing rapidly. To highlight some of the most promising work in the field, we have compiled a list of the top digital biomarkers papers from the past year. Eligible papers reported on original research that evaluated a digital sensor (e.g., smartphone, wearable sensor, implantable device) in humans and was published in a peer-reviewed journal in 2017. Nominations were solicited from the editorial board of Digital Biomarkers and supplemented by papers the editorial team identified from Web of Science, Google Scholar, and PubMed. The editorial board then selected up to ten papers to be recognized among 28 nominations. Here, we present all of the nominated papers and profile the eight that received the most votes. The top eight papers evaluated 1,290 individuals with digital pills, smartwatches, wearable devices, and electronic inhalers in disease states ranging from dementia to diabetes and from Parkinson disease to pain.

Keywords: Bipolar disorder; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Digital divide; Digital pills; Huntington disease; Hypertension; Mental health; Parkinson disease; Passive monitoring; Wearable sensors.

Fig. 1

Ten characteristics of the top eight publications. Note that some studies may be double counted, e.g., a study may have carried out activities both inside and outside the United States. * Citation status based on a Google Scholar search performed on March 17, 2018.