Mehran Turna

I am thrilled to share my experiences at the deRSE 2025 conference. I had the invaluable opportunity to present "JTrack: A Digital Biomarker Platform for Remote Monitoring of Daily-Life Behavior in Health and Disease." This platform represents a significant leap forward in our ability to monitor health remotely, integrating cutting-edge technology to track and analyze patient behavior seamlessly in real-time.

The conference provided a dynamic forum to discuss the broader implications of software technologies and their integration into research and everyday healthcare practices. Engaging with other developers, I gained diverse insights that could enhance the platform's capabilities and its adaptability to different patient needs and clinical settings. The feedback and constructive discussions spurred ideas for further research and potential collaborations that could propel JTrack into new realms of medical technology.

I am particularly grateful to JuRSE for awarding me a travel grant, making it possible for me to attend this prestigious event. The support not only facilitated my participation but also underscored the importance of fostering young researchers in the field of digital health. This encouragement is vital for the continuation and expansion of innovative research that challenges traditional healthcare paradigms.

Additionally, attending the conference allowed me to witness first hand the current trends and future directions in research software engineering. It was inspiring to see how other projects and technologies are shaping the future of healthcare and research, offering novel solutions to complex problems. The collaborative spirit of the conference was palpable, with a shared commitment to advancing science and technology for better health outcomes.

Overall, deRSE 2025 was a landmark event in my professional journey, providing not just a platform to showcase JTrack, but also a wealth of knowledge and networking opportunities that will benefit my research and career for years to come. Thank you, JuRSE, for this incredible opportunity.

Accepted Talk

JTrack: a digital biomarker platform for remote monitoring of daily-life behaviour in health and disease

Abstract: The use of research software in digital health is becoming increasingly vital, particularly in the remote monitoring of neurological and psychiatric conditions. My work focuses on the development and implementation of the JTrack platform, an open-source solution designed for continuous data collection from smartphones, which serves as a scalable and privacy-compliant tool for digital biomarker acquisition. This software ecosystem includes JTrack Social for sensor data collection, JTrack EMA for ecological momentary assessment, and JDash for study management, allowing for comprehensive data handling in research studies. JTrack’s ability to securely collect health-related data, such as motion, social interactions, and geolocation, makes it a critical tool for digital phenotyping, particularly in the study of diseases like Parkinson’s and other neurological disorders. Our work has highlighted JTrack’s potential in remote assessments, using longitudinal data collected via smartphones. For example, it was successfully integrated with DataLad, ensuring reproducibility, scalability, and data privacy in accordance with GDPR regulations. Applications of this software have already been demonstrated in the publications used by Jtrack. The use of research software like JTrack is a promising advancement in digital health, facilitating a more comprehensive understanding of patient health beyond the clinical environment.

In this talk, I will discuss the technical architecture of JTrack, its applications in ongoing research projects, and its implications for future research. Specifically, I will explore how research software enhances reproducibility, scalability, and data security in digital health studies. Moreover, the talk will highlight the lessons learned from deploying these tools in real-world studies and address the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in developing research software for health monitoring. By leveraging robust open-source platforms, researchers and clinicians can access real-time, actionable insights into patient health, paving the way for innovative digital therapeutics and more personalized healthcare solutions.

Primary author: Dr TURNA, Mehran (Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich)

Co-authors: Prof. DUKART, Juergen (Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich); Mr FISCHER, Jona M (Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich); Ms NARAVA, Mamaka (Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich)

Presenter: Dr TURNA, Mehran (Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich)

Track Classification: research data management

Contribution Type: Talk (15min + 5min)