<![CDATA[ASCP 2026 leaders share practical ways to engage patients in acute psychosis—active listening, noncollusive language, and rapport before assessment.]]>
Heart Attack Byproduct Linked to Brain Inflammation and Cognitive Decline
Researchers at the University of Ottawa has found that a heart attack may trigger neurological disorders and cognitive decline, and have identified the reactive molecule methylglyoxal as a potential driver of neuroinflammation after myocardial infarction. The research, published in the journal Advanced Science, adds to a growing body of evidence that injury to the heart can directly alter brain function through the “heart-brain axis.”
“Methylglyoxal has been widely studied for its role in metabolic diseases, including diabetes, but much less is known about its function in other diseases. In a previous study, we discovered that methylglyoxal was produced by dying heart tissue after a heart attack. Based on this evidence, we predicted that methylglyoxal in the blood would target other organs and tissues, including the brain—and this is what we did indeed observe,” said senior author Erik Suuronen, PhD, a professor in the department of surgery and director of the BEaTs research program at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.
The researchers found that methylglyoxal-derived advanced glycation end products (MG-AGEs) accumulated in the brains of mice within hours after myocardial infarction and remained elevated seven days later. This accumulation resulted in neuroinflammation, activation of microglia and macrophages, increased inflammatory signaling, and disruption of the blood-brain barrier.
The study examined five brain regions in female and male mice after they induced myocardial infarction. Brain tissue was collected at six hours and seven days after the cardiac event. Researchers measured levels of MG-H1, the major MG-derived advanced glycation end product, along with glyoxalase-1, inflammatory cytokines, receptors for AGEs, activated microglia, and macrophages.
The work builds on a multiple earlier research studies linking cardiovascular disease and neurological disorders. Prior clinical studies have found that myocardial infarction and heart failure are associated with increased risks of dementia, depression, anxiety, and cognitive impairment. Patients with depression after myocardial infarction also face a greater risk of future cardiovascular events.
The heart-brain axis is the bidirectional relationship between cardiac and neurological function similar to the gut-brain axis. Changes in heart function can influence the brain, while neurological disease can also affect cardiovascular health. While the biological factors relating to this interaction are still emerging, the new research indicates that methylglyoxal may be one factor contributing to this relationship.
MG is produced as a byproduct of glycolysis and can react with proteins, lipids, and DNA, contributing to cellular dysfunction. Conditions associated with myocardial infarction, such as ischemia, inflammation, oxidative stress, and metabolic shifts toward anaerobic glycolysis, promote MG production while limiting its detoxification.
The mouse studies showed that the brainstem had the highest accumulation of MG-H1 after myocardial infarction, followed by the cortex. These same regions also showed elevated expression of inflammatory markers and receptors associated with MG-mediated signaling. Male mice exhibited higher MG-AGE accumulation and greater neuroinflammation than females in several brain regions.
The team also documented increases in inflammatory markers including NF-κB, TNF-α, and activated microglia across multiple brain regions. The cortex and brainstem demonstrated the highest inflammatory responses. According to the authors, the findings suggest a “region-specific vulnerability to glycation-induced stress post-MI.”
The findings could have implications for better understanding how heart attacks contribute to long-term neurological disease risk, including dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers noted that MG-AGEs already have recognized roles in neurodegenerative disease and mental health disorders.
The researchers have already used the information from the study to develop a peptide designed to trap methylglyoxal and prevent cellular damage, as a potential new therapy. The peptide will be tested for its ability to protect the brain after myocardial infarction.
“Given the increased risk of subsequent heart attacks or death in heart attack patients who experience depression or anxiety, being able to alleviate these conditions could reduce subsequent major cardiac events and improve the lives of countless patients, filling an urgent unmet clinical need,” Suuronen says.
The researchers said future work will examine how MG-driven inflammation contributes to neuron death and behavioral changes after myocardial infarction. They also plan further research to better understand the glyoxalase detoxification system, including glyoxalase-1 activity and glutathione levels.
The post Heart Attack Byproduct Linked to Brain Inflammation and Cognitive Decline appeared first on Inside Precision Medicine.
<![CDATA[New trials find collaborative care improves OUD and mental health outcomes.]]>
AI Model Predicts Cancer Treatment Response from Tumor Genotype
Researchers at University of California, San Diego have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) model that can translate a tumor’s complex genetic profile into predictions about how that cancer may respond to treatment. The foundation model, called MutationProjector, was trained on genomic data from more than 30,000 tumors across 10 solid cancer types, and validated through testing across multiple independent patient cohorts. Led by Trey Ideker, PhD, professor of medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine and director of the Big Data Institute at the University of Oxford, the researchers say the model offers a new framework for connecting cancer mutations to the biological pathways that drive treatment response.
“Genetic sequencing is already routine in cancer care, but we still struggle to fully interpret the many mutations found in a patient’s tumor,” said Ideker, who also holds a second appointment at UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and is a member of UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center. “Our goal with MutationProjector was to build a general-purpose model that can learn from tens of thousands of tumor genomes and turn those mutation patterns into more precise predictions about treatment response.”
Ideker is co-senior and co-corresponding author of the team’s published paper in Cancer Discovery, titled “A foundation model of cancer genotype enables precise predictions of therapeutic response,” in which the authors stated, “These results establish a unifying framework for connecting tumor genotypes to biological mechanisms and therapeutic outcomes.”
Following a cancer diagnosis, one of the next steps is often genetic testing, which helps doctors classify the tumor and decide which treatments to pursue. “DNA sequencing panels—and in particular those that broadly identify alterations in cancer-associated genes—have been widely adopted in the clinic due to their relatively low cost, rapid turnaround, and established relevance to treatment outcomes,” the authors explained.
![Trey Ideker is a professor of medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine and director of the Big Data Institute at the University of Oxford. [Erik Jepsen / UC San Diego]](https://www.genengnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Low-Res_TreyIdekerLab-ErikJepsen-800px-300x218.jpg)
However, while genetic testing is relatively low cost, fast, and has a strong track record in cases where validated genetic biomarkers are available, those cases remain limited, because this type of treatment stratification is currently based on only a small number of known biomarkers. Today, only about 8% of cases are successfully matched to an FDA-approved therapy on the basis of genetics and usually on the basis of a single gene, the team continued. “While this situation may reflect the incomplete scope of genes covered by current sequencing panels, it clearly also reflects a fundamental lack of knowledge about how gene mutations should be interpreted.”
They suggest that an “average” tumor has approximately 11 distinct genetic alterations identified by clinical sequencing, representing a potentially rich source of molecular information, if this information could be used to help select treatment. One of the challenges to matching cancer mutations with treatment outcomes is that most mutations are rare, the investigators pointed out. Another is that individual biomarkers do not function in isolation, but act together to influence drug response.
Unlike existing approaches that rely on a small number of biomarkers, MutationProjector analyzes the broader combination of genetic alterations present in a tumor. The model then uses this information to generate a compact representation of the tumor’s biological state, helping researchers interpret which molecular pathways may be disrupted and, by extension, which treatments may be most effective. “Foundation models, which are pre-trained on large datasets and then applied to solve diverse new challenges with relatively few samples, are especially well positioned to advance precision oncology,” Ideker and team noted.
The investigators trained their foundational model, MutationProjector, using genetic profile data from more than 30,000 tumors samples across different cancer types. They then showed that across several independent cohorts of cancer patients, including those with bladder cancer, lung cancer and melanoma, MutationProjector matched or exceeded existing methods for predicting response to common immunotherapy and chemotherapy treatments. The model also identified both known and unexpected biomarkers associated with treatment outcomes, which could help improve current approaches to genetic testing and patient stratification.
“When applied to predict immunotherapy or chemotherapy resistance across multiple cancer types and cohorts, MutationProjector achieves or exceeds state-of-the-art performance in all contexts,” the team wrote. “It identifies unexpected biomarkers, including KMT2D mutation in immunotherapy sensitivity and joint alteration of SMARCA4 and STK11 in immunotherapy resistance.”
JungHo Kong, PhD, first author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher in the department of medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine, said, “Many cancer mutations are individually rare, which makes them difficult to study one at a time. By pretraining on a large collection of tumors and integrating molecular network knowledge, MutationProjector can detect patterns that would be easy to miss with conventional biomarker approaches. That gives us a way to move from long lists of mutations toward a more functional understanding of the tumor.”
![First study author JungHo Kong, shown here, is a postdoctoral researcher at UC San Diego School of Medicine. [UC San Diego Health Sciences]](https://www.genengnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Low-Res_IMG_8731-1024x768-1-300x225.jpg)
The researchers emphasize that the model was designed not only to make predictions, but also to provide insight into why those predictions are made, which could help when refining biomarkers and treatment strategies. This interpretability is especially important in precision oncology, where clinicians need to understand how tumor genotypes relate to treatment decisions.
The team also hopes to expand the model to additional cancer types and data sources, including international cancer genome datasets and other forms of clinical information, such as imaging, transcriptomics, and electronic health records. “While 30,000+ genomes representing 10 solid tumor types were considered in our study, numerous additional tumor samples are available for expansion of MutationProjector to tumor types such as pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer or sarcomas,” the authors said. “Other future studies should explore the extent to which the MutationProject concept can be applied to further clinical tasks of interest, including application to liquid biopsies of circulating tumor DNAs for early cancer detection.”
Ideker added, “Our results suggest that tumor genome foundation models may help extend the clinical value of sequencing beyond a handful of well-known genes. This could support a more comprehensive and biologically grounded approach to precision oncology.”
The post AI Model Predicts Cancer Treatment Response from Tumor Genotype appeared first on GEN – Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.
Triple Play: Lilly Acquires Three Developers of Infectious Disease Vaccines for Up-to-$3.8B
Eli Lilly has agreed to acquire three privately-held developers of vaccines for infectious diseases for a combined up to $3.83 billion cash, the companies said today, in deals intended to expand the acquisitive pharma giant’s R&D efforts into infectious disease—and which represent Lilly’s eighth, ninth, and 10th planned buyouts of smaller biotechs this year alone.
Lilly announced planned acquisitions of Vaccine Company for up to $1.55 billion, Curevo for up to $1.5 billion, and LimmaTech Biologics for up to $780 million. The planned triple play of buyouts, Lilly said, will enable it to apply differentiated technology platforms toward attacking infectious diseases, focusing on viral pathogens linked to long-term neurological and oncological risk, plus bacterial pathogens long considered difficult to prevent or treat.
“These acquisitions reflect a deliberate strategy to prevent disease at its source rather than treat its consequences,” Daniel M. Skovronsky, MD, PhD, chief scientific and product officer, and president, Lilly Research Laboratories, said in a statement.
“Decades of evidence now link common infections to diseases that potentially emerge years later, including neurological disease, cancer and infertility. And as antimicrobial resistance erodes our ability to treat bacterial infections, vaccines are increasingly the only path to prevention,” Skovronsky added. “Combining these companies’ platforms and teams with Lilly’s global scale positions us to change that trajectory.”
Investors appeared to support the triple play, sending Lilly shares up 1.36% to $1,079.19 as of 11:56 a.m. ET, from $1,065 at Friday’s close of trading.
Capitalizing on tirzepatide billions
The deal spree reflects Lilly’s desire to capitalize on the billions of dollars it is generating from sales of its obesity and diabetes drugs based on glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor analysts alone or in tandem with a glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP).
Those drugs account for 58% or $49.329 billion of the $84.978 billion in revenues reported by Lilly in 2025 and the first quarter of 2026. Lilly markets tirzepatide, a GLP-1/GIP dual agonist, in obesity as Zepbound® ($13.542 billion in 2025, $4.16 billion in first quarter 2026) and in diabetes as Mounjaro® ($22.965 billion, $8.662 billion in Q1 ‘26).
Lilly executives did not mention infectious diseases as a potential area of future growth during the company’s most recent earnings call last month with analysts following Q1 results, even as it cited three other therapeutic areas: I&I (immunology and inflammation), neuroscience, and oncology.
“We’re proud of what we’re doing in those three areas, and I think each of them has very significant unmet medical needs that we can scale into as our medicines are successful. We like what we got, and we like the direction we’re going. Of course, in each of those areas, we also see opportunities to get a lot bigger, and we’ve highlighted some of the themes already in those areas,” Skovronsky said on the April 30 call.
“Even without the obesity and metabolic business, Lilly would be the fastest or surely one of the fastest-growing pharmaceutical companies in the industry,” Skovronsky added.
Parade of purchases
Lilly’s long parade of purchases began January 7 when it inked a $1.2 billion acquisition of Ventyx Biosciences, an NLRP3-targeting oral drug developer focused on inflammatory diseases. A month earlier, Lilly announced plans to buy out circular RNA cell therapy developer Orna Therapeutics for up to $2.4 billion, targeting advancements in cell therapy. And in March, Lilly committed up to $7.8 billion to acquire Centessa Therapeutics, a developer of sleep disorder drugs.
Last month, Lilly agreed to acquire three cancer drug companies—in vivo chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) developer Kelonia Therapeutics for up to $7 billion; JAK inhibitor developer Ajax Therapeutics for up to $2.3 billion; and next-generation dual-payload antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) developer CrossBridge Bio for up to $300 million.
Just last week on May 20, non-viral DNA delivery-focused drug developer Engage Biologics announced it had been acquired by Lilly for up to $202 million cash, including an upfront payment and payments upon achieving specified development milestones.
As for the latest planned acquisitions:
South San Francisco, CA-based Vaccine Company is developing in vivo nanoparticle (IVN) technologies designed to enable the antigen display known to elicit durable immune responses associated with virus-like particle vaccines, while avoiding the manufacturing burden of traditional VLP production. The company is advancing a preclinical pipeline spanning multiple viral pathogens; the lead program applies this technology to Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) with a five-antigen Phase I-ready candidate.
Preventing mono and consequences
Lilly and Vaccine Company reason that a prophylactic vaccine could prevent not only acute infectious mononucleosis but also long-term neurological and oncological consequences that may follow infection, given what it said was growing evidence linking EBV to multiple sclerosis and several malignancies,
Under the acquisition deal, Lilly agreed to give Vaccine Company shareholders up to $1.55 billion, which would include an undisclosed upfront payment and additional payments tied to achieving specified clinical and commercial milestones.
LimmaTech Biologics, based near Zurich in Schlieren, Switzerland, is a developer of vaccines targeting bacterial pathogens for which rising antimicrobial resistance is steadily closing therapeutic options, including Staphylococcus aureus, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Chlamydia trachomatis. LimmaTech’s platform is designed to generate broad, durable immune responses against complex bacterial targets by targeting the toxins and superantigens that drive disease.
LimmaTech’s lead program, LTB-SA7, is in Phase I development as a vaccine against S. aureus, the leading cause of surgical-site infection. The company has also developed a preclinical pipeline of candidates targeting additional bacterial pathogens, including those that drive infertility and other long-term consequences of infection that fall disproportionately on women.
Lilly has agreed to acquire LimmaTech for up to $780 million, which will include an undisclosed upfront payment and additional potential payments also tied to achieving specified clinical and regulatory milestones.
Seeking greater tolerability
Bothell, WA-based Curevo has an infectious disease vaccine pipeline led by amezosvatein, an adjuvanted subunit vaccine being developed for the prevention of shingles in adults. Curevo acknowledges that the current standard of care for shingles prevention, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)’s Shingrix® (Zoster Vaccine Recombinant, Adjuvanted) is effective, but says tolerability challenges can limit overall vaccination rates and contribute to second-dose hesitancy, leaving a meaningful portion of patients with reduced or no protection against shingles and its long-term consequences.
To prevent that problem, amezosvatein has been engineered with a next-generation synthetic adjuvant. In a Phase II trial head-to-head against Shingrix, amezosvatein matched immune response across all primary endpoints and reduced side effects such as activity-limiting fatigue, chills, and pain at the injection site by more than half. Lilly and Curevo reason that in light of growing evidence linking shingles to elevated risk of stroke and tying shingles vaccination to lower risk of dementia, a better-tolerated vaccine could reduce these long-term risks, thus expanding the reach of shingles prevention.
Lilly’s up to $1.5 billion deal price for Curevo includes another upfront payment and an additional payment hinging upon achievement of a certain milestone, all unspecified.
All three deals are subject to customary closing conditions, including expiration of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. Lilly said it will determine the accounting treatment of the transactions upon closing, in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). The transactions will be reflected in Lilly’s future financial results and financial guidance to investors.
That guidance was raised last month after Lilly reported stellar first quarter earnings tied to booming sale of its blockbuster tirzepatide-based drugs. Lilly raised its full-year 2026 revenue guidance to between $82 billion and $85 billion, and non-GAAP earnings per share (EPS) guidance to be in the range of $35.50 to $37.00.
In February, Lilly guided investors to between $80 billion and $83 billion in revenue, and non-GAAP EPS ranging from of $33.50 to $35.00.
The post Triple Play: Lilly Acquires Three Developers of Infectious Disease Vaccines for Up-to-$3.8B appeared first on GEN – Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.
Functions and Sensors of Smart Walkers From 2015 to 2024: Scoping Review
Background: Early mobilization and mobility are essential components of the recovery process following surgery and trauma-related hospitalization. In addition to personalized support from physiotherapists and health care professionals, assistive devices such as walkers play a crucial role in facilitating safe and effective mobility. Objective: This scoping review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of the literature on the design, sensor technologies, and functional applications of smart walkers and to assess the extent to which existing studies reflect clinical use cases. Methods: Peer-reviewed English articles published between 2015 and 2024 were identified by searching PubMed, CINAHL, SSCI, and IEEE, focusing on the topic of smart walkers. Secondary analyses and walkers with 2 wheels or fewer were excluded in abstract screening. Study screening and selection were performed according to the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines for scoping research and reported following the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines. The Rayyan systematic review management software was used for study selection. The articles included were analyzed with respect to the sensor technologies used, their functional capabilities, and their application scenarios. Results: Of the 800 articles screened, 44 (5.5%) met the inclusion criteria. Most of these articles were research reports (n=36, 81.8%) and were conducted in laboratory-based environments (n=30, 68.2%). Most studies evaluated smart walkers in asymptomatic populations (n=29, 65.9%), with half (n=22, 50%) involving younger adults. Among the sensor modalities reported, camera-based and light detection and ranging–based sensors were most prevalent for half of the implementations. Light detection and ranging–based sensors can be categorized according to their primary functions: gait analysis (n=11, 25%), collision detection (n=9, 36%), and navigation (n=5, 11.4%). Load sensors (n=10, 22.7%) and ultrasonic sensors (n=11, 25%) were among the most frequently cited sensor modalities in the literature. Load sensors, also known as force sensors, are integrated into the handlebars, frame, forearm supports, or chest pads of smart walkers. These sensors measure the user’s load, providing essential data for calculating body weight support or inferring the user’s intention to move. Conclusions: The smart walkers described in the literature were predominantly tested in asymptomatic and younger populations. Bridging the gap between current laboratory-based research and real-world clinical environments, as well as the daily lives of end users, remains a critical objective. Addressing the specific needs of older adults through comprehensive requirements analyses and iterative testing continues to be an ongoing challenge, yet these processes can serve as integral components of research and development projects. Trial Registration: OSF Registries osf.io/ctpf4; https://osf.io/ctpf4
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New Study Identifies Different Biological Subtypes of Autism
Research findings help explain why symptoms present so differently from one child to the next, and why individualized supports and interventions are essential.
Autism can look very different from person to person. One child might differ from another in how they learn, process sensory information, and experience social and communication challenges. Scientists have long suspected these differences stem from distinct biology, but proving it has been challenging — until now.
A recent study published in Nature Neuroscience has identified two biological subtypes of autism linked to different pathways in the brain.
Researchers from the Child Mind Institute, the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, and other international partners analyzed brain connection patterns in nearly 2,000 individuals, including 940 autistic people from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE). By combining human brain-imaging datasets with complementary biological data, they identified two consistent patterns in how different brain regions communicate.
One subtype showed reduced communication, or hypoconnectivity, among brain regions linked to pathways that help brain cells send signals to one another. The other showed increased communication, or hyperconnectivity, among brain regions linked to pathways associated with the immune system. The two subtypes exhibited differences in functional brain structure and modest differences on standardized autism assessments, with the hyperconnectivity subtype scoring moderately higher on autism severity measures.
These findings give scientists the first empirically biology-based framework for understanding autism’s complexities over time. This type of work could move the field closer to more precise, personalized approaches to medicine and care. However, this does not mean autism can now be divided into just two categories, nor does it create a new diagnostic framework. Autism is complex, and these two subtypes are likely part of a much larger picture.
The study also highlights the importance of open science. Through shared datasets like ABIDE, researchers can tackle questions too large for a single lab to answer alone.
The post New Study Identifies Different Biological Subtypes of Autism appeared first on Child Mind Institute.
STAT+: Praise for FDA’s acting commissioner
RFK Jr. adviser Calley Means and Kennedy’s son Finn attended the Enhanced Games, the pro-doping athletic competition and biohacking extravaganza that took place over the weekend in Las Vegas, according to The Washington Post. Send news tips and personal bests to John.Wilkerson@statnews.com or John_Wilkerson.07 on Signal.
Ripple effects
For weeks, Republicans have been preoccupied with an immigration funding bill that they’re pushing through Congress, without support from Democrats. I’ve not been writing about that bill because it doesn’t include health care policies. But it’s now becoming relevant to health care, albeit indirectly.
Early last week, Republicans were expected to pass that budget reconciliation bill without much friction. By the end of the week, Senate Republicans adjourned for a week-long recess without voting on it due to an impasse over a new $1.8 billion settlement fund for Trump’s allies. They’d also butted heads with the president over his demands for $1 billion for a White House complex and ballroom.
Telehealth by Home Monitoring and Video Consultation for Children With Cystic Fibrosis: Qualitative and Quantitative Study
Background: Clinical outcomes for patients with cystic fibrosis have improved over the last decades, with a focus on enhancing the quality of life for children and their families. These improvements are expected to reduce the need for in-hospital visits, allowing for alternative care provisions that further enhance their quality of life. Telehealth can decrease the number of in-hospital visits and disruptions to everyday life. Objective: This study aims to assess the feasibility of home monitoring with subsequent video consultations and to explore the experiences of families and health care professionals. Methods: We recruited 12 children with cystic fibrosis (>6 y) and their parents from the Cystic Fibrosis-Center Copenhagen. The 5-month intervention consisted of alternately standard care visits and telehealth care visits. Telehealth care visits consisted of home monitoring, with automatically transmitted data to the hospital-based electronic health record. Home monitoring included spirometry, weight, and oxygen saturation, conducted with parental support, along with a video consultation. To monitor lung infections during telehealth care visits, all participants were encouraged to send in a sputum sample beforehand. Families completed preintervention and postintervention questionnaires about time spent, sense of security, and usability of home monitoring devices. We also collected data on families’ and health care professionals’ experiences with telehealth care visits through semistructured interviews after the intervention. Results: All 12 (100%) approached children and their parents accepted to participate. Standard care visits caused full-day absences for 8 (73%) children and 10 (91%) parents, compared to only 1 (8%) child and their parents during telehealth visits. More than 70% of children and their parents rated the oxygen saturation device (n=9, 75%) and weighing scale (n=11, 92%) as “very easy” to use after the intervention. However, 50% (n=6) found the home spirometry device “difficult” or “acceptable” to use, possibly due to device errors. We identified 4 main themes in the interviews: benefits of telehealth, disadvantages of telehealth, prerequisites for telehealth to be successful, and next steps toward telehealth. Conclusions: Home monitoring with automatically transmitted data to the hospital-based electronic health record and video consultations was feasible despite identified concerns regarding technical issues with home spirometry devices.
An Evaluation of the Usability of ReACT (Responsive Asthma Care for Teens), an Adaptive Mobile Health Intervention for Adolescents With Asthma: Feasibility and Acceptability Trial
Background: Adolescent asthma is a significant contributor to youth morbidity and is known to be best managed through consistent medication use and symptom management. However, adolescents often struggle to perceive their symptoms accurately and consistently use their medication at the recommended rate, risking worsened symptoms and impaired quality of life. The Responsive Asthma Care for Teens (ReACT) system is a project aimed at identifying and and providing supporting for several barriers adolescents may face in asthma management. By integrating both software and hardware to monitor medication adherence, ReACT provides a personalized support plan to improve asthma management and, subsequently, quality of life. Objective: The objective of this study is to conduct a proof-of-concept assessment of the ReACT system following an initial pilot study and adjusting for the feedback received. In addition to assessing the acceptability and usability of the current version, this study aims to assess whether the proposed ReACT system leads to indications of improvement in medication adherence because of the personalized support plans. Methods: Participants in the study were 5 adolescents aged 15 to 17 years recruited using a combination of consent-to-contact forms delivered via an in-person asthma clinic and Qualtrics panels. As a part of this study, participants met with the study team 3 times over 1 month. After completing initial surveys on stress, problem-solving, and asthma-related quality of life, we oriented the participants to the ReACT platform and asked them to interact with it as normal. After the month, the participants were interviewed, and they discussed the system and completed surveys assessing their opinions on acceptability and usability. Results: On a 4-point scale, participants reported high acceptability of ReACT (mean score 3, SD 0.32), willingness to use it again (mean score 4, SD 0.89), and willingness to recommend it to a friend (mean score 3.75, SD 0.55), and they considered it to be helpful (mean score 3.2, SD 0.84). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that ReACT is an acceptable and usable mobile health intervention to improve asthma self-management among adolescents, and it had promising results for improving self-regulation, problem-solving, and asthma control. The system continues improving based on feedback from a larger sample size of participants, and we hope that ReACT will aid adolescent development while delivering highly personalized support for each user.
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