Digital Innovation Core

REVISED PROJECT SUMMARY – DIGITAL INNOVATION CORE The overarching goal of this proposal is to establish a Digital Innovation Core within the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) to support research across the Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADRD) spectrum and multi-etiology dementias. This Core aims to provide a robust technological infrastructure and cross-disciplinary expertise to support digital innovation in AD/ADRD research, leveraging computing platforms, connectivity, software, and sensors for healthcare and related uses. The Digital Innovation Core will facilitate the integration of digital health technologies in various focused use cases, such as digitized acquisition and quantitative analysis of imaging, pathology, cognitive testing, motion analysis, and speech. Broad survey and assessment of existing digital technologies will also be part of the Core activities. The proposed Digital Innovation Core will consist of six specific aims: (1) Develop a technological infrastructure for digital health technologies in AD/ADRD research, (2) support and facilitate digital innovation across multiple use cases and research programs, (3) collaborate and coordinate with other Cores to maximize the impact of digital health technologies, (4) train researchers and clinicians in the use of digital health technologies (5) evaluate and validate digital health technologies for AD/ADRD research and care, and (6) disseminate findings and achievements of the Digital Innovation Core. The Core will work in close collaboration with the Neurology Artificial Intelligence Program (NAIP), a multidisciplinary team of clinician-scientists, data engineers, cloud engineers, software engineers, informaticists, statistical programmers, and translational operations specialists. The Digital Innovation Core will also partner with existing and emerging investigator-initiated projects and research programs in the ADRC to support their digital health technology needs. The Digital Innovation Core is set to accomplish its objectives by developing and maintaining a comprehensive technological infrastructure, delivering specialized assistance to researchers, and initiating concerted efforts with other Cores within the ADRC. The Core will also prioritize the development of training programs and educational resources, execute rigorous evaluations of digital health technologies, and distribute its findings and achievements throughout the broader AD/ADRD research community. The Digital Innovation Core, through its commitment to fostering digital innovation, will catalyze significant progress in understanding, diagnosing, and treating dementias AD/ADRD. The subsequent impact of these advancements will not only enhance clinical research and patient care but will also significantly improve the quality of life for those affected by these conditions.