Patrick Manser

Patrick Manser

Affiliated to Research
Visiting address: Alfred Nobels Allé 23, 14183 Huddinge
Postal address: H1 Neurobiologi, vårdvetenskap och samhälle, H1 Fysioterapi Franzen, 171 77 Stockholm
Part of:

Research

  • Vision-driven “Exergame as Medicine” Researcher and Innovator

    My research lies at the intersection of health, exercise, and technology, focusing on the co-development, evaluation, and implementation of personalized “exergame as medicine” programs for the rehabilitation of neurodegenerative disorders.

    My mission is to pursue multidisciplinary, patient‑centered research with solid theoretical foundations – from mechanistic research on motor-cognitive integration, its translation into holistic exergames, and their implementation in healthcare.

    My vision is to transform “exergame as medicine” from a niche area of research into a reimbursable pillar of modern healthcare - empowering an ageing population to train to retain a high quality of life.

    Explore my academic portfolio and collaborative contributions: https://www.patrick-manser.com/

Teaching

  • To date, I have given a total of 212 university lectures – 172 from teaching assignments, four additional invited lectures, and 36 as a teaching assistant. In addition, I have contributed to curriculum development and refinement as follows:

    I have planned, implemented, and continuously refined the lecture series “Human Movement Analysis” for the newly established Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy at OST - Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences between 2021 and 2023 together with Prof. Dr. Eling D. de Bruin. This course equips students with essential skills in both analogue and technology-assisted gait and movement analysis using various clinical protocols. It emphasizes the relevance of these methods as part of an accurate differential diagnosis that forms the basis for developing effective treatment plans. As part of this course development, I established a complete course script, topic-specific handouts, workshop guides, as well as a Moodle platform with formative assessments.

    I also contributed as a research assistant in the Exercise Physiology Laboratory of Prof. Dr. Christina M. Spengler at ETH Zurich. In this role, I was involved in: (i) course development and establishment of the e-learning platform for exercise physiology; and (ii) the assistance in the practical training ‘Sports Physiology’. As part of this course development, I established a complete e-learning course covering 16 chapters each including formative assessments.

Selected publications

Articles

All other publications

Grants

  • Swiss National Science Foundation
    1 August 2026 - 31 July 2027
    Dementia is one of the most pressing healthcare challenges of the 21st century. Rigorous secondary prevention in individuals with first clinical symptoms (i.e., mild neurocognitive disorder, mNCD) could prevent up to half of all cases. However, despite global consensus on the relevance of exercise in dementia prevention, a significant implementation gap persists: Fewer than 15% of individuals with mNCD receive structured exercise or medical training therapy in standard clinical practice to prevent or delay deterioration into care dependence. This gap is now a focal point of Swiss health policy. The Federal Office of Public Health’s recently ratified reference framework formally establishes the broad-scale implementation of “exercise as medicine” as a strategic priority for the Swiss healthcare system. ‘Brain-IT’ provides an effective solution for this public health priority while enjoying high acceptance. Through six years of iterative co-development and validation, this personalized “exergame as medicine” program systematically unified strong theoretical backing with the “real-world” needs of patients and clinicians – key reasons it was awarded the Vontobel Award for Research on Ageing 2024. The mission of the ‘Brain-IT into Practice’ project is to prepare ‘Brain-IT’ for clinical implementation and commercialization by: 1. determining requirements for integrating ‘Brain-IT’ into practice, with a special focus on willingness to pay as well as potential reimbursement and remuneration strategies
    2. optimizing the 'Brain-IT' program to improve efficiency of care delivery
    3. pilot-testing the deployment to provide proof of concept for product-market fit and the market potential of the optimized ‘Brain-IT’ program
    and 4. establishing a business and commercialization strategy for the optimized ‘Brain-IT’ program and performing financial feasibility analyses. To serve our vision to transform “exergame as medicine” from a niche research area into a reimbursable pillar of modern healthcare, all project decisions will be guided by individuals with mNCD, their relatives/supporters, healthcare professionals, healthcare institutions, and representatives of the healthcare system. The outcome of this project will be an efficiency-optimized ‘Brain-IT’ program paired with a business and commercialization strategy. With evidence demonstrating that 55% of participants showed clinically meaningful cognitive improvements causally linked to brain-protective effects, our solution offers high potential to expand the current standard of care in mNCD through home-based, remotely monitored exergame therapy that may reduce reliance on institutionalized care.
  • Strategic Research Area Health Care Science (SFO-V) at Karolinska Institutet
    1 April 2025 - 31 December 2025
  • PPI Preperatory Grant for Project "TRAIN-IT - TRAINing of cognitive reserve in institutionalized older adults with mild to major neurocognitive disorder using Information Technology added to usual care – a pragmatic cluster randomized controlled superiority trial"
    Swiss National Science Foundation
    1 August 2022 - 30 November 2022

Employments

  • Affiliated to Research, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, 2026-2026
  • Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, 2024-2026
  • Lecturer, Lecture Series “Human Movement Analysis” and “Evidence-based Intervention Planning“ for Students “Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy“, Department of Health, OST – Eastern Swiss University of Applied Sciences, 2023-2023
  • Lecturer, Lecture Series “Human Movement Analysis” and “Evidence-based Intervention Planning“ for Students “Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy“, Department of Health, OST – Eastern Swiss University of Applied Sciences, 2022-2022
  • Lecturer, Lecture Series “Human Movement Analysis” and “Evidence-based Intervention Planning“ for Students “Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy“, Department of Health, OST – Eastern Swiss University of Applied Sciences, 2021-2021
  • Master’s Thesis Project, project title: The Reactivity of Heart Rate Variability as a Potential Biomarker and Monitoring Tool to Promote Healthy Ageing - A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Research Centre - Directorate of Research and Education, University Hospital of Zurich, 2020-2020
  • Student Research Internship, (1) Development of a taxonomy for exergame-based motor-cognitive training in chronic stroke patients (2) Planning and organization (including writing of the ethics application) of a pilot intervention study investigating the resulting training taxonomy, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, 2019-2020
  • Research Assistant, (1) Extension of the online learning platform for the exercise physiology course at the Exercise Physiology Lab, (2) Synthesis, preparation, statistical analysis, and interpretation of datasets of the Exercise Physiology Lab, (3) Assistance in the practical training ‘Sports Physiology’, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, 2017-2019
  • Fitness Instructor, Update Fitness AG, 2015-2017

Degrees and Education

  • Doctor of Science ETH in Health Sciences and Technology, Field: Technology-enhanced and Individually Tailored Training, Brain-IT - Targeting the Brain using Information Technology for Secondary Prevention of mild Neurocognitive Disorder, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, 2024
  • Teaching Certificate in Health Sciences and Technology, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, 2023
  • Master of Science ETH in Health Sciences and Technology, Specialization: Human Movement Sciences and Sport, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, 2020
  • Bachelor of Science ETH in Health Sciences and Technology, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, 2019
  • Fitness Instructor, Update Academy, 2015

Distinction and awards

Supervision

  • Supervision to doctoral degree

  • Other researchers who have defended a thesis

    • Enis Ljatifi, Master's Thesis: Effectiveness of an Exergame Based Training on Learning and Memory in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment Compared to Usual Care: A Randomized Controlled Trial, 2023
    • Julia Müller, Master's Thesis: Effectiveness of a 12-week Exergame-Based Motor-Cognitive Training on Patient-Centered Outcomes in Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment Compared to Usual Care: A Randomized Controlled Trial, 2023
    • Julia Czopek-Rowinska, Master's Thesis: Diagnostic Accuracy of Heart Rate Variability as a Screening Tool for Mild Neurocognitive Disorder, 2023-
    • Wanda Kaiser, Master's Thesis: Evaluation of Domain-Specific Exergame Metrics in Older Adults with Mild Neurocognitive Disorder, 2023-2024
    • Kathrin Rohr, Master's Thesis: Development and Initial Validation of the German Version of the Exergame Enjoyment Questionnaire (EEQ-DE), 2022-2023
    • Nadine Decher, Master's Thesis: Effects of a 12-Week Exergame-based Motor Cognitive Training Concept on Working Memory Function in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment – a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial, 2022
    • Anna Riedler, Master's Thesis: The Effect of a 12-Week Exergame Based Motor Cognitive Training on Psychological Factors, Cognitive Functions and Heart Rate Variability in Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment Compared to Usual Care, 2022-2023
    • Karishma Thekkanath, Master's Thesis: Reliability and Validity of Heart Rate Variability Reactivity as Internal Load Parameter for Exergaming in Older Adults – a Within-Person Trial, 2021
    • Patricia Groth, Master's Thesis: Feasibility, Usability and Acceptance of a Newly Developed Exergame-Based Intervention Con- cept for Older Adults with Mild Neurocognitive Disorder – A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial, 2021-2022

Committee work

  • Member, Communications Committee of the International Society of Posture & Gait Research, 2023-

Journal reviewing

Conference/event participation

  • Oral presenter of submitted abstract, Swiss Society of Sports Sciences (SGS) – 15th Annual Conference, Brain-IT - Targeting the Brain using Information Technology for Secondary Prevention of mild Neurocognitive Disorder (a part of the finalist’s presentations of the Young Investigator Award), 2024
  • Poster presenter of submitted abstract, Collaboration in Science 2024, Conference "Collaboration in Science 2024" organized by Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, Cognitive and Brain Volumetric Improvements in Response to ‘Brain-IT’ in Neurocognitive Disorders: A RCT, 2024
  • Invited speaker, 23rd Zurich Gerontology Day, Short presentation and acceptance speech for receiving the Vontobel Prize for Age(ing) Research 2024 from the Center for Gerontology at the University of Zurich for the publication “‘Brain-IT’: Exergame training with biofeedback breathing in neurocognitive disorders”, "Brain-IT": Exergame training with biofeedback breathing in neurocognitive disorders, https://www.zfg.uzh.ch/de/forschung/forschungfoerderung/preis/2024.html, 2024
  • Oral presenter of submitted abstract, European College of Sports Science – 2024 Annual Congress, Effectiveness Of ‘Brain-It’ - An Exergame-Based Training Concept for Secondary Prevention of Mild Neurocognitive Disorder - Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial, 2024
  • Invited speaker, International Society of Gait & Posture Research (ISPGR) - Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition, Role: interviewer (in my role as past years’ 3MT® winner) of Prof. Dr. Melvyn Roerdink about, experiences, key learnings, and advice for early career researcher in navigating in academia., 2024
  • Poster presenter of submitted abstract, Synapsis Forum 2023 – Scientific exchange for researchers investigating Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegeneration, Diagnostic Accuracy, Reliability, and Construct Validity of the German Quick Mild Cognitive Impairment Screen, 2023
  • Poster presenter of submitted abstract, International Society of Gait & Posture Research (ISPGR) – World Congress 2023, Design, Development, and Evaluation of an Individualized Exergame-based Motor-Cognitive Training Concept for Older Adults with Mild Neurocognitive Disorder, 2023
  • Oral presenter of submitted abstract, International Society of Gait & Posture Research (ISPGR) – World Congress 2023, Rethinking the Development of Technology-Based Interventions for Secondary Prevention of Cognitive Impairment (a part of the Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition), 2023
  • Oral presenter of submitted abstract, Mobility and Exercise (MobEx) conference 2022, Exergaming for Older Adults with mild Neurocognitive Disorder, 2022
  • Poster presenter of submitted abstract, Synapsis Forum 2022 – Scientific exchange for researchers investigating Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegeneration, Feasibility, Usability and Acceptance of a Newly Developed Exergame-Based Training Concept for Older Adults with Mild Neurocognitive Disorder - A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial, 2022
  • Oral presenter of submitted abstract, Synapsis Forum 2021 – Scientific exchange for researchers investigating Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegeneration, Making the Best out of IT: Design and Development of Exergames for Older Adults with mild Neurocognitive Disorder, 2021
  • Oral presenter of submitted abstract, Synapsis Forum 2020 – Scientific exchange for researchers investigating Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegeneration, Brain-IT, 2020
  • Poster presenter of submitted abstract, Synapsis Forum 2020 – Scientific exchange for researchers investigating Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegeneration, Brain-IT, 2020

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