Rune Labs and Parkinson's Foundation Launch First Clinical Program to Correlate Genetic and Digital Biomarkers for Parkinson's Disease

Business Wire

29-05-2025

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Rune Labs, the leader in precision medicine for Parkinson's disease (PD), today announced the launch of a clinical program with Parkinson's Foundation to accelerate the discovery of genetic and digital biomarkers for PD that can be used to provide breakthroughs in diagnostics, therapy development, and clinical trial design. By mapping gene variants to real-world symptom and medication data, the study will reveal wearable-based biomarker correlations in Parkinson's patients. The study, supported through the Global Parkinson's Genetics Program (GP2), will leverage Rune Labs' StrivePD AI-driven software and PD GENEration, the flagship genetic testing and counseling initiative from the Parkinson's Foundation.
The GP2 program, one of three Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) initiative-funded programs implemented by The Michael J. Fox Foundation, aims to improve understanding of the genetic architecture of PD by integrating ancestrally diverse populations to address a large gap in scientists' knowledge about the disease. Led by Dr. Andrew B. Singleton and Dr. Cornelis Blauwendraat, GP2's partnership with the Parkinson's Foundation will further increase the ancestral diversity of global PD genetic data.
Despite a growing global patient population—expected to exceed 25 million by 2050—people with Parkinson's still need advances in diagnostics and treatments, despite progress over the past two decades. The study is intended to help address this by identifying biological and digital signatures of the disease that can support earlier diagnosis, more precise patient stratification for clinical trials, and the development of better-targeted treatment strategies. Leveraging StrivePD, participants will use an iPhone and Apple Watch to track motor symptoms passively, including tremor and dyskinesia, along with self-reported activities like mood and medications, while completing remote surveys and rating scales on their health and Parkinson's symptoms. Through PD GENEration, participants will undergo genetic testing and counseling by providing a blood sample that will be used to test for clinically validated PD-related genetic variants. The study may help participants determine eligibility for genetically based clinical studies.
'We believe that there is significant potential to advance Parkinson's research by combining genetic insights with real-world data derived from AI-driven platforms like StrivePD to define disease subtypes. As trials become more precise, we can leverage data from this new study to reduce the noise, match patients to the right interventions, and generate stronger evidence to support the development of much-needed personalized treatments. If you carry a gene mutation, you shouldn't be treated like every other patient. This study could move us from 'average-patient' dosing to genome-matched therapy recommendations,' said Brian Pepin, CEO of Rune Labs.
StrivePD closes the gap in Parkinson's care caused by infrequent specialist visits and unpredictable symptoms. Through AI-driven monitoring, the software care ecosystem combines Apple Watch data with the StrivePD app to track FDA-cleared metrics like tremor and dyskinesia, plus self-reported daily routines, to deliver real-time insights and proactive treatment guidance. By providing insights into symptoms at all hours of the day, StrivePD helps patients manage symptoms between visits, improve medication adherence, and avoid unnecessary ER trips, allowing them to take control of their disease and ease the pressure on the healthcare system. Using AI and extensive real-world patient data, StrivePD is also changing how neurological clinical trials are designed, helping improve predictive accuracy and reducing trial failures.
PD GENEration from the Parkinson's Foundation is an international research initiative offering genetic testing and counseling at no cost to individuals diagnosed with PD. Since its inception in 2019, PD GENEration has enrolled over 24,000 people living with PD (PwP) across North, Central, and South America, the Caribbean, and Israel. PD GENEration's mission is to help PwP better understand their genetic link to PD and manage their PD treatment and care, contribute to the scientific understanding of PD now and into the future, and accelerate enrollment into clinical trials by empowering PwP and clinicians around the importance of genetics.
'We created PD GENEration to empower those with Parkinson's and their families to know more about their disease, accelerate clinical trials [that may one day halt Parkinson's], and drive forward research into the complex genetic factors that contribute to Parkinson's severity, progression, and treatment response,' said James Beck, PhD and Chief Scientific Officer of the Parkinson's Foundation. 'This new study with Rune Labs brings in powerful digital insights that can help us decode Parkinson's even further and speed up the path toward more effective treatments, and one day, a cure. Together, we can make better lives for those living with PD.'
Initial genotype-response findings are expected in 2026, with anonymized results made available to researchers through the GP2 data repository to accelerate future studies.
About Rune Labs
Rune Labs is an AI-led data analytics company for precision neurology, supporting care delivery and therapy development. StrivePD is the company's care delivery ecosystem for Parkinson's disease, enabling patients and their clinicians to better manage the disease by providing access to summarized objective and subjective data to improve treatment decisions, enhance disease management and connect patients to clinical trials. For therapeutics development, biopharma and medical device companies leverage Rune's technology, network of engaged clinicians and patients, and large longitudinal real-world datasets to expedite development programs. The company has received financial backing from leading investors such as Nexus NeuroTech, Eclipse Ventures, DigiTx, TruVenturo and Moment Ventures. For more information, please visit runelabs.io and strive.group.
About Parkinson's Foundation
The Parkinson's Foundation makes life better for people with Parkinson's disease by improving care and advancing research toward a cure. In everything we do, we build on the energy, experience and passion of our global Parkinson's community. Since 1957, the Parkinson's Foundation has invested more than $474 million in Parkinson's research and clinical care. Connect with us on Parkinson.org, Facebook, X, Instagram or call 1-800-4PD-INFO (1-800-473-4636).
About the Global Parkinson's Genetics Program
The Global Parkinson's Genetics Program (GP2) is an ambitious program focused on improving our understanding of the genetic architecture of the PD spectrum in a global context. This work will help address the most pressing needs of the global PD community, accelerating development and deployment of better PD therapies. GP2 is made up of member organizations around the world that are coming together to create a global research community. GP2 is funded by the Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) initiative and implemented by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Disease Research.
About Parkinson's Disease
Affecting an estimated one million Americans, Parkinson's disease is the second-most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's and is the 14th-leading cause of death in the U.S. It is associated with a progressive loss of motor control (e.g., shaking or tremor at rest and lack of facial expression), as well as non-motor symptoms (e.g., depression and anxiety). There is no cure for Parkinson's and nearly 90,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the U.S.