Smartwatches and fitness bands reveal individual physiological responses
to COVID-19 vaccine
Scientists find digital biomarkers that could be associated with vaccine- induced immune response

Date:
April 19, 2022
Source:
Scripps Research Institute
Summary:
A new digital health study shows how data from wearable sensors,
such as smartwatches and fitness bands, can track a person's
physiological response to the COVID-19 vaccination.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A new digital health study by researchers at Scripps Research shows
how data from wearable sensors, such as smartwatches and fitness bands,
can track a person's physiological response to the COVID-19 vaccination.


==========================================================================
The study, published in npj Digital Medicine, analyzed sensor data
on sleep, activity and heart rate from over 5,600 individuals. Among
the findings, the team showed that the average resting heart rate of participants significantly increased the day following vaccination. The
effect appeared to be stronger after the second dose of the Moderna
vaccine, compared to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and more pronounced
in younger individuals.

According to lead author Giorgio Quer, PhD, director of Artificial
Intelligence at the Scripps Research Translational Institute, this
study is a first step toward quantifying the physiological response to vaccination in individuals using commercial sensors.

"Investigating the physiological signals in the period around vaccination
can help us better understand the variability of vaccine response
between people, as well as the changes from an individual norm due to vaccination," Quer says.

"As these individual changes are due to a person's initial immune
response to the vaccine, they can potentially help guide future vaccine development to optimize their efficacy and safety, and allow for more
precise, individualized vaccine regimens." The researchers drew their
data from a larger project, called Digital Engagement and Tracking
for Early Control and Treatment (DETECT) launched in March 2020, in
response to the emergence and rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that
causes COVID-19. DETECT is a mobile-app research platform that allows participants to share physiological and behavioral data gathered through
a fitness band or smartwatch, as well as manually entered symptoms,
test results and vaccination status.

To determine whether consumer wearables could unearth digital biomarkers
of vaccine-induced immune response, the scientists analyzed DETECT
sensor data from two weeks before and after each vaccination dose. They compared post- vaccination changes to the participants' resting heart
rate, sleep and activity levels, to their baselines.



==========================================================================
The analysis showed that the average resting heart rate of study
participants increased significantly the day following vaccination,
peaking two days post- vaccination, and returning to normal four
days after the first dose and six days after the second. In addition
to increases in resting heart rate being higher after the second dose
of the Moderna versus the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the study suggests
that prior COVID-19 infection was linked with a significantly higher
resting heart rate increase after the first vaccine dose relative to
those without prior infection. This increase is consistent with an
expected greater immune response for these individuals.

Findings also show that women experienced greater changes than men in
resting heart rate in the five days following vaccination after the first
dose, and that individuals under the age of 40 had higher changes in
resting heart rate than older individuals, but only after the second dose.

Activity and sleep patterns appeared to be minimally affected by the
first dose, but a significant decrease in activity and an increase in
sleep relative to baseline were observed immediately after the second
vaccine dose.

"While the link between physiological response and immune response still requires further investigation, digital tracking could provide a novel
way to identify individuals who may not be responding optimally to the vaccine," says Steven Steinhubl, MD, associate professor at Scripps
Research and senior author of the study.

"DETECT really shows the power of wearable sensor data in furthering our understanding of multiple facets of COVID-19," Quer says. "We hope to
continue to expand this research by growing our study cohort further,
which will allow us to delve into important questions regarding
breakthrough infections and other areas that are currently poorly
understood." The npj Digital Medicine article, "Inter-individual
variation in objective measure of reactogenicity following COVID-19
vaccination via smartwatches and fitness bands" is authored by
Giorgio Quer, Matteo Gadaleta, Jennifer Radin, Kristian Andersen, Katie-Baca-Motes, Edward Ramos, Eric Topol and Steven Steinhubl.

Funding for the research was provided by the National Center for
Advancing Translational Sciences at the National Institutes of Health [UL1TR002550] and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases [U19AI135995].

About DETECT Since its launch, the DETECT (Digital Engagement and
Tracking for Early Control and Treatment) study has enrolled over
40,000 participants nationwide. The data that has been shared has
enabled scientists to gain valuable insights into various aspects of
COVID-19 infection. Already, DETECT has led to several peer- reviewed publications that: show how wearable devices are capable of detecting
COVID-19 infection; give valuable insights into long COVID; demonstrate
how machine learning techniques can predict COVID-19 infection; and
more. The team aims to develop tools to complement traditional public
health interventions and bolster the ability to prevent and contain
future pandemics. The DETECT study is ongoing. Visit detect.scripps.edu
to learn more.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Scripps_Research_Institute. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Giorgio Quer, Matteo Gadaleta, Jennifer M. Radin, Kristian
G. Andersen,
Katie Baca-Motes, Edward Ramos, Eric J. Topol, Steven R. Steinhubl.

Inter-individual variation in objective measure of
reactogenicity following COVID-19 vaccination via smartwatches
and fitness bands. npj Digital Medicine, 2022; 5 (1) DOI:
10.1038/s41746-022-00591-z ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220419170757.htm

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