The clinical trial results of a circadian rhythm-based digital therapeutic technology for depression and bipolar disorder, developed by a Korean research team, have been published in a globally renowned psychiatric journal.

Korea University announced that the clinical trial study on the “Circadian Rhythm-based digital therapeutic app (CRM)” conducted by the research team led by Professor Heon-Jeong Lee of the Department of Psychiatry at Korea University Anam Hospital was officially published on 1 September in the American Journal of Psychiatry (AJP).

Professor Lee’s team, in collaboration with Hucircadian, a subsidiary of Korea University Medical Holdings, developed the circadian rhythm-based digital therapeutic app (CRM). CRM utilizes smartphones and wearable devices to analyze sleep, activity levels, heart rate, and light exposure, and provides information on wake-up time, light exposure, and activities tailored to an individual’s biological rhythm. Unlike general health management apps, it targets circadian rhythms as a therapeutic focus with the aim of reducing recurrence of mood disorders.

The research team conducted a one-year, multicenter, double-blind, randomized clinical trial involving 93 patients with depression or bipolar disorder. The study found that the recurrence rate of mood episodes in the control group using a sham app was approximately 3.4 times higher than in the CRM group. The time to recurrence was also significantly longer in the CRM group.

The AJP is the official journal of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and is recognized worldwide as one of the most authoritative journals in psychiatry. In particular, this paper was also selected as an “AJP Audio” interview article, in which AJP invites authors of notable studies published each month to introduce and discuss their research.

Professor Lee stated, “CRM can serve as a new treatment strategy that, when used alongside pharmacotherapy, helps prevent recurrence in patients with mood disorders and supports them in maintaining a stable condition for a longer period,” adding, “We are currently conducting clinical trials to obtain approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety so that it can be prescribed to actual patients.”

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