Apple's new app allows scientists to gather patient data

Chicago

US HEALTH researchers said that they are targeting millions of smartphone users with Apple Inc's new software tool, hoping to collect an unprecedented amount of data on major diseases by tracking their behaviours via iPhone.

The ResearchKit software tool, an open source platform, allows researchers to design applications that use built-in sensors on the iPhone along with data from other wearable devices to gather real-time health data. Scientists from Stanford University School of Medicine and Weill Cornell Medical College are among the first to offer apps for diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.