Lessons learned from cancer tracking helps fight coronavirus

Peter Kuhn, Dean’s Professor of Biological Sciences and professor of medicine, biomedical engineering and aerospace and mechanical engineering and a founding member of the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Biosciences.

“We’ve teamed with a Bay Area company to make a phone app to record and analyze coughs and symptoms and compare it to an individual’s social interactions using GPS,” Kuhn said. “It’s all about using data from individuals that becomes a source we can use to help stop the spread of coronavirus.”

He added:
• Work at USC’s Convergent Science Institute in Cancer (CSI-Cancer) laid a foundation for tracking health performance across populations.
• CSI-Cancer is partnering with San Francisco-based HealthMode to develop the app.
• The app would work by linking an individual’s symptoms to their previous locations and contacts.
• The data can help identify sick people and prevent the spread of disease.
• Privacy protection measures will be included in the app.

Stay tuned!