The Gerontology Centers united to Aid Remote Research in Elders (G-CAR2E) project is a new NIH-funded initiative that is transforming how researchers study health and aging. Led by the University of Florida in partnership with the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and Emory University, G-CAR2E is building a next-generation smartphone platform that makes it easier for researchers to conduct remote studies with older adults while reducing participant burden.
Rather than relying on infrequent clinic visits or telephone follow-ups, G-CAR2E enables continuous, real-world monitoring using participants’ own smartphones. The platform is designed around the 5Ms of Geriatrics—Mobility, Medications, Mind, What Matters Most, and Multicomplexity—allowing researchers to collect information on physical function, cognition, symptoms, medications, daily activities, and health events through a single, user-friendly application. Researchers can also customize studies without programming expertise, selecting validated questionnaires, cognitive tests, wearable sensors, GPS, and other digital health tools to meet their research needs.
A hallmark of G-CAR2E is its multi-site collaboration among the University of Florida, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Emory University. By bringing together experts in geriatrics, digital health, engineering, cognitive science, and clinical research, the partnership is designed to ensure the platform is scalable, generalizable across diverse populations, and ready for nationwide adoption. Working across multiple institutions also improves recruitment diversity, strengthens collaboration, and prepares the infrastructure for future national research studies.
Following platform development, the team will conduct a multi-site prospective study to evaluate how remotely collected health information can predict important health events such as falls, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations. The study will also examine how individuals recover following these events and assess the feasibility, usability, and reliability of long-term remote monitoring.
G-CAR2E represents a major step toward the future of aging research by providing investigators with a sustainable, flexible, and accessible digital research infrastructure. Ultimately, the project aims to accelerate discoveries that improve independence, health, and quality of life for older adults while creating a shared resource that can support researchers across the country.