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Redefining the term 'Incubation Period' using large-scale digital data

Description du projet

Dévoiler la face cachée des maladies infectieuses

La période d’incubation désigne l’intervalle de temps entre l’exposition à un agent infectieux causant une maladie et la manifestation du premier symptôme. Bien qu’ils puissent varier d’un individu à un autre, le taux de réplication, ainsi que le type et la durée des symptômes supprimés, varie considérablement selon les agents pathogènes. Dans ce contexte, le projet DCUBATION, financé par l’UE, étudiera la véritable manifestation des symptômes. Plus spécifiquement, il conduira une évaluation en temps réel des risques antérieurs d’infections respiratoires en intégrant des modèles de transmission à des données individuelles issues des dossiers médicaux électroniques de 4,5 millions de personnes. Le projet identifiera des micro-changements dans le comportement du patient lors de la phase initiale d’une infection, en analysant les données sensorielles numériques collectées par des dispositifs portables.

Objectif

Infectious diseases pose one of the greatest risks for a global catastrophe. Just like controlling the spread of wildfires, an early detection of infectious diseases is instrumental to containing outbreaks. Nearly all infections start silently, and gradually progress until clinical symptoms appear. In this silent period, the incubation period (IP), pathogens inhibit major pathways of the innate immune system, allowing an extended period of unhindered replication. The rate of replication, as well as the type and length of suppressed symptoms vary considerably between pathogens, creating a unique signature for each pathogen. Thus, improved understanding of the IP is pivotal for early detection, prevention and control of infectious diseases. Previous studies estimating IPs have used aggregated retrospective data, and are subject to the biases of patient self-reporting. I hypothesise that the actual onset of clinical symptoms occurs earlier than previously known, can be identified more accurately, and can be used in real-time for patient empowerment. Focusing on respiratory infections, my methodological approach includes: 1) real-time evaluation of the prior risk for respiratory infections by integrating transmission models with individual-level data from electronic medical records of 4.5 Million individuals, 2) identification of micro-changes in patients’ behaviour during the early phase of an infection by prospectively analysing digital sensory data from wearable devices and mobile phones of 5000 selected participants, 3) early detection of the causing pathogen validated with self-swab kits that are tested using RT-PCR. Our preliminary work that combined an analysis of EMR and transmission modelling led to a change in public health policy in Israel. The proposed study has the potential to open new research directions on the hidden side of infectious diseases and to initiate a new era of personalized medicine through dramatic changes in patient-doctor interaction.

Régime de financement

ERC-STG - Starting Grant

Institution d’accueil

TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY
Contribution nette de l'UE
€ 1 986 875,00
Adresse
RAMAT AVIV
69978 Tel Aviv
Israël

Voir sur la carte

Type d’activité
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Liens
Coût total
€ 1 986 875,00

Bénéficiaires (1)