Nestlé will use Medidata‘s cloud-based platform and unified mHealth solutions to conduct a two-year clinical trial in China, to evaluate the impact of nutrition combined with physical activity on mobility in healthy aging adults with joint discomfort.

“The research program, developed in collaboration with dedicated experts from Nestlé research centers in Lausanne and Beijing, is extending Medidata and Nestlé Clinical Development Unit’s well-established relationship beyond traditional clinical trials,” Stephane Collet, head of clinical operations at Nestlé, said in a statement. “We are collecting more data from study participants than ever before and achieving more insight into the impact our nutritional products can have on improving people’s quality of life.”

Launched in May 2015 by the Nestlé Research Center, part of Nestlé’s global R&D network, the clinical trial will involve participants equipped with Garmin’s vívofit activity trackers to gather quantitative data on movement and mobility. On the other hand, participants will also use Medidata’s ePRO (electronic patient-reported outcomes) app to complete quality-of-life questionnaires on smartphones or tablets. These two data sets will be combined and ingested into the Medidata Clinical Cloud platform to provide real-time insight into subject behavior, compliance and response to therapy.

“Wearables, sensors and apps gather real-time data directly from people participating in studies and can help paint a holistic picture of their activity and overall health and well-being,” Mike Capone, Medidata’s COO, said in a statement. “We’re proud that our mHealth expertise and capabilities are supporting Nestlé’s efforts to provide people with the nutritional support needed to live healthier, happier lives.”

Last year, Medidata partnered with Garmin to include wearables in clinical trials, and this latest announcement is, arguably, a fruit of that co-operation.