When was the last time you thought about the simple act of eating? For individuals living with Parkinson’s disease, even this routine activity can offer a window into their Quality of Life. Koios Care is leading efforts to transform passive data from commercial wearables into actionable insights, reshaping how we measure and improve life for Parkinson’s patients – including eating and nutrition

We recently talked with Dimitris Iakovakis, CTO at Koios Care, about their work and how DiMe’s V3+ Framework helped accelerate their groundbreaking work in digital measurement.

Bridging clinical relevance and quality of life

Koios Care launched in 2022 with a vision to extract clinically relevant insights from commercial-grade wearable devices. The team’s goal was to go beyond standard symptom tracking to assess multiple dimensions of Quality of Life continuously and passively.

“Can we evaluate even small changes in Quality of Life and disease progression together, passively and continuously?” Dimitris explained. “If we can, it’s a game-changer. It’s not just about telling a patient they face tremors. It’s about saying, ‘Your eating speed has reduced by half, or you have limited your activity outside home’ – showing what that means for their day-to-day life and what patient care should focus on.” 

Koios Care’s approach integrates raw sensor data from wearables and smartphone devices, e.g., motion readings from the accelerometer, positioning data from GPS, touchscreen events, and more, to create digital measures that reflect personalized, real-world influences. A key example is the plate-to-mouth duration, which measures how long it takes for a patient to transfer food from their plate to their mouth during a meal. By analyzing this eating behavior, insights can be gained about bradykinesia and its impact on the patient’s eating routine, ultimately reflecting part of their Quality of Life.

Catalyzing on innovation

Koios Care’s early work relied heavily on validation and repeatability of measures, key pillars of DiMe’s V3+ Framework. Dimitris credited DiMe’s resources for providing a common language and structure, which helped the Koios Care team focus their efforts.

“The V3 framework allowed us to validate our measures using data from multiple sources, ensuring reliability and accuracy,” Dimitris explained. “We now have a composite score that captures changes in Quality of Life through passive digital endpoints. It’s a foundation for scalability and widespread patient impact.”

Starting with Parkinson’s disease

One of Koios Care’s most compelling use cases is their work with Parkinson’s disease patients. By continuously measuring passive biomarkers, the team created detailed profiles of patient Quality of Life over time. These insights not only enhanced communication between patients and clinicians but also informed more precise treatments.

“In certain cases during our patient support program, we noticed a 60% reduction in bradykinesia after the treating doctor adjusted the patient’s care,” Dimitris shared. “This kind of feedback loop, where data leads to actionable clinical decisions, is what digital health is all about.”

Koios Care’s innovations also extend to products like Parky, a self-empowerment tool that uses the capabilities of the Apple Watch to give patients direct access to their data, fostering better communication with clinicians and enabling personalized care.

Koios Care is already discussing integrating its digital measures into clinical trials with top pharmaceutical companies. Dimitris sees these tools as essential for accelerating drug development and expanding the reach of digital health solutions.

“We have shown that eating behavior, the ability to communicate, and social activity can serve as novel digital measures toward characterizing Parkinson’s disease,” Dimitris said. “This is only the beginning of the Koios Care story. Our work has applications in other therapeutic areas, from weight loss to sleep-related disorders.”

The Koios Care team embodies the spirit of interdisciplinary collaboration by bringing together engineers, clinical experts, and advocates, including team members with personal connections to Parkinson’s disease. This diverse expertise ensures that their solutions are both innovative and grounded in real-world needs.

“Our team believes in capturing every perspective of daily living,” Dimitris said. “This is how we build tools that truly make a difference.”

Looking ahead

As Koios Care continues to push the boundaries of digital measurements and AI, Dimitris remains focused on the big picture: improving lives through better, actionable data. With DiMe’s frameworks as a guiding light, Koios Care is poised to set new standards for Quality of Life metrics in digital health.

“Our mission is to create frictionless tools that empower patients and clinicians alike,” Dimitris said. “Digital endpoints are not just about data; they are about understanding and improving the patient experience.”

Learn more

Koios Care demonstrates the power of innovation and collaboration in digital health. By using frameworks like DiMe’s V3+ Framework and focusing on real-world impacts, Dimitris and his team are transforming data into meaningful improvements for patients.