An international study recently published in the journal Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, with the participation of Azorean people with Machado-Joseph Disease (MJD), tested a new digital tool to monitor the symptoms of the disease more frequently and in a home setting. Developed within the scope of the European ESMI Network—coordinated in the Azores by Professor Manuela Lima, from the University of the Azores—the work involved the collaboration of health professionals from HDES and HSEIT. The involvement of AAADMJ in this study was also highlighted in a news article published in the regional newspaper. Correio dos Açores, in the January 30, 2026 edition.
The study evaluated the effectiveness of the application SARAhome, which allows people with MJD to record videos at home with exercises similar to those performed in neurological consultations. The results showed that this tool is practical, sensitive, and capable of capturing variations in symptoms over time more accurately than traditional clinical assessment alone.
This innovation could represent a significant advance in monitoring the disease and evaluating the effectiveness of future therapies, contributing to more rigorous clinical trials that are focused on the everyday reality of people with MJD.
