RADAR-AD · Project

Smartphone and Wearable Sensors That Detect Early Alzheimer's Decline at Home

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Imagine your smartwatch and phone could quietly track whether your parent is struggling with everyday tasks — getting dressed, cooking, navigating around the house — long before anyone notices something is wrong. That's what RADAR-AD built: a digital platform combining data from smartphones, wearables, and home sensors to spot the earliest signs of Alzheimer's-related decline. They tested it with 240 people across the full Alzheimer's spectrum, from those with no symptoms yet to those already living with dementia. The goal is to catch the disease earlier and give clinical trials a better way to measure whether treatments actually help.

By the numbers

240

participants tested across the full Alzheimer's spectrum

consortium partners across 8 countries

EUR 4,999,757

EU contribution for platform development

project deliverables produced

industry partners in the consortium

SMEs involved in the project

The business problem

What needed solving

Alzheimer's disease is typically caught too late because current assessment methods rely on clinic visits and subjective questionnaires that miss subtle early changes in daily functioning. Pharmaceutical companies spend billions on Alzheimer's drug trials but lack reliable, continuous, real-world measures to prove their treatments actually slow decline. Care providers have no objective early-warning system to detect when a patient starts losing the ability to manage everyday tasks.

The solution

What was built

A digital platform integrating smartphone, wearable, and home sensor data to detect functional decline in early Alzheimer's disease. The live RADAR-AD environment was installed and tested, and the system was validated in a real-world clinical study with 240 participants across the full Alzheimer's spectrum. The project produced 33 deliverables and engaged regulatory agencies on formal qualification pathways.

Audience

Who needs this

Digital health companies building remote patient monitoring platformsPharmaceutical companies running Alzheimer's clinical trialsAssisted living and elderly care providersMedical device companies developing wearable health sensorsHealth insurers looking for early intervention tools to reduce long-term care costs

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Digital Health & Remote Monitoring

SME

Target: Companies developing remote patient monitoring platforms or digital biomarker solutions

If you are a digital health company struggling to measure real-world patient function outside the clinic — this project developed a validated sensor platform tested with 240 participants that combines smartphone, wearable, and home sensor data to detect subtle functional decline in Alzheimer's patients. The platform was built on top of the existing RADAR-CNS infrastructure and includes regulatory agency input on qualification as outcome measurements.

Pharmaceutical & Clinical Trials

enterprise

Target: Pharma companies running Alzheimer's drug trials needing better endpoint measures

If you are a pharmaceutical company running costly Alzheimer's trials and struggling with subjective clinical endpoints — this project built remote measurement tools that track functional decline continuously at home, tested across the full AD spectrum with 240 participants. The consortium already engaged regulatory agencies to develop a path for formal qualification as outcome measurements in therapeutic trials.

Elderly Care & Assisted Living

any

Target: Assisted living operators or home care providers wanting early-warning systems

If you are a care provider looking for objective ways to monitor cognitive and functional decline in residents or home-care clients — this project validated a combination of smartphone, wearable, and home sensors that detect changes in daily activities. The platform was tested in real-world settings across 8 countries with 17 consortium partners, including 8 industry organizations.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or adopt this technology?

The project was funded with EUR 4,999,757 in EU contribution under IMI2 (Innovative Medicines Initiative), which typically involves co-funding from industry partners. Licensing terms would need to be negotiated with the consortium led by King's College London. With 8 industry partners already involved, there may be existing commercial arrangements.

Can this scale to large patient populations or commercial deployment?

The platform was tested with 240 participants across the full Alzheimer's spectrum in a real-world clinical study spanning 8 countries. The system was built on the existing RADAR-CNS platform, which provides a proven technical foundation. Scaling to larger populations would require additional validation but the multi-country infrastructure is already in place.

What is the IP situation and how can a company access the technology?

This was an IMI2 project (public-private partnership) with 17 partners including 8 industry organizations and 4 SMEs. IP arrangements in IMI projects typically allow industry partners to retain certain rights. Companies interested in licensing should contact the coordinator at King's College London through the project website at radar-ad.org.

Has this been reviewed by regulators?

Yes. One of the project's explicit objectives was to discuss results with regulatory agencies to obtain guidance on developing a path for formal qualification as outcome measurements in future therapeutic trials. This regulatory engagement is a significant step toward commercial adoption in clinical settings.

How long before this could be used in actual clinical trials?

The platform has been tested in a real-world study with 240 participants and regulatory discussions have taken place. Based on available project data, the technology is positioned for integration into clinical trial protocols, though formal regulatory qualification as an endpoint measure would require additional steps.

What technical infrastructure is needed to deploy this?

The system integrates smartphone apps, wearable devices, and home sensors into a central digital platform built on the RADAR-CNS architecture. A demo deliverable confirmed the live RADAR-AD environment was installed and tested. Integration would require compatible sensor hardware and the software platform.

Is there ongoing support or further development?

The project closed in June 2023 after 4.5 years of work. The consortium of 17 partners across 8 countries produced 33 deliverables. Continued development may be pursued by individual consortium members or through follow-up projects building on the RADAR platform family.

Consortium

Who built it

The RADAR-AD consortium is unusually well-balanced for commercial potential: 17 partners across 8 countries with a 47% industry ratio (8 industry organizations), including 4 SMEs. This is significantly above the typical research project mix. The consortium spans Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK, with King's College London coordinating. Having 8 industry partners — nearly half the consortium — means the technology was shaped by commercial perspectives from the start, and there are built-in channels for bringing results to market. The 5 research organizations and 3 universities provide the scientific credibility needed for regulatory acceptance.

KING'S COLLEGE LONDONCoordinator · UK
ETHNIKO KENTRO EREVNAS KAI TECHNOLOGIKIS ANAPTYXISparticipant · EL
TAKEDA PHARMACEUTICALS INTERNATIONAL AGparticipant · CH
STICHTING LYGATUREparticipant · NL
SOFTWARE AGparticipant · DE
NOVARTIS PHARMA AGparticipant · CH
THE HYVE BVparticipant · NL
TAKEDA DEVELOPMENT CENTRE EUROPE LTDparticipant · UK
STICHTING AMSTERDAM UMCparticipant · NL
KAROLINSKA INSTITUTETparticipant · SE
AGENTSCHAP COLLEGE TER BEOORDELING VAN GENEESMIDDELENparticipant · NL
THE CHANCELLOR, MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORDparticipant · UK
ELI LILLY AND COMPANY LTDparticipant · UK
ALZHEIMER EUROPEparticipant · LU
JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICA NVparticipant · BE

How to reach the team

King's College London (UK) — reach out through the project website or university research office

Order a report on this consortium See KING'S COLLEGE LONDON profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want a detailed briefing on how RADAR-AD's sensor platform could fit your clinical trials or remote monitoring product? SciTransfer can arrange a direct introduction to the research team.

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