PhysioQ launches free platform to accelerate COVID-19 research and help families monitor their health

Launched alongside a Databank to accelerate COVID-19 research, new at-home monitoring service allows families to proactively monitor their health together.

BOSTON, MA, USA, March 31, 2020 — Nonprofit PhysioQ today announced the launch of NEO, a new connected self-monitoring solution that allows families to proactively monitor their health together using affordable wearable devices. In tandem, PhysioQ will also launch a COVID-19 Databank open to all health researchers to accelerate research into COVID-19.

PhysioQ is actively working with clinicians, researchers, and public health experts to assess critical needs and prioritize their efforts. Leading the way is Dr. Andrew Ahn, Assistant Professor of Medicine & Radiology at Harvard Medical School, and a physician helping COVID-19 patients on the front lines. “In regions most heavily impacted by COVID-19, our healthcare facilities are unable to handle the massive influx of COVID-19 patients. Many patients are being asked to self-isolate and monitor their symptoms from home. However, in order to do so, they need to have access to tools that can help them self-monitor,” said Dr. Ahn.

Since PhysioQ’s platform was previously reserved for health research, NEO is currently in closed Beta, but it will be made publicly available at the end of April. “Within the next three months, we expect to complete all core functionality to allow people to proactively monitor their vital signs—such as SpO2, heart rate, body temperature, etc—on their mobile phone in real-time, using affordable wearable devices.” said Chris Peng, PhysioQ Co-founder and President. “In providing people with the ability to have selected friends and family monitor their health status, we can help provide peace of mind to families who are feeling anxious, powerless, and isolated from each other.” For people still able to get appointments with doctors, NEO will also provide them with the ability to share their health data with clinicians, allowing for effective remote monitoring and swift intervention when necessary.

NEO aims to not only help improve the clinical outcomes of those suffering from COVID-19, but also provide the core infrastructure upon which COVID-19 research can be performed. The PhysioQ COVID-19 Data Bank is a publicly-available supply of anonymized data collected through the platform that is accessible for all researchers to analyze, opening up the possibilities of finding patterns that can be used in clinical practice. All PhysioQ users are given the choice to donate their data to the Databank.

In an effort to aid in the fight against this global pandemic, PhysioQ has made its new service free of charge. “As a nonprofit organization, PhysioQ was founded on the principle of accessibility. Our platform continues to be available to everyone from citizens, to clinicians and researchers,” says Jordan Masys, PhysioQ’s other founder. “We’re in a unique position to create immediate impact in regions most heavily impacted by COVID-19, and it’s been truly amazing to see both the PhysioQ community and passionate citizens come together to help others.”

For those interested in NEO and contributing to the fight against COVID-19, please visit https://physioq.org/neo.

PhysioQ

PhysioQ is a nonprofit organization that believes the pursuit of knowledge and advancement of scientific research--as well as the engagement of citizens in the scientific process--is the path to a better society. PhysioQ creates affordable and easy-to-learn research tools, allowing anyone, from academic researchers to everyday citizens, to conduct health research and further their passion for health science.