Depression DisordersSEQUOIA-1NCT06923995
Expansion and Evaluation of AI-generated Clinical Assessment (AI-COA®) of Depression and Anxiety Severity
A study testing AI-driven clinical interview in people with Depression Disorders and Anxiety Disorders, run by Deliberate Solutions Inc. at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The SEQUOIA-1 study evaluates the effectiveness of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in measuring depression and anxiety severity in adults. Investigators from Deliberate Solutions, Inc. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 65 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Depression Disorders, Anxiety Disorders
- What is being tested?
- AI-driven clinical interview
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 120 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 1 Sep 2025to 28 Feb 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 65 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- English fluency
- 18 to 65 years of age.
- HAM-D 17 > 10
- Starting, or has started, a new treatment for depression or anxiety within 2-3 weeks of enrollment
- Access to a laptop or other computer with a well functioning microphone and webcam, and a stable Internet connection
- Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study
- Resides in the United States at the time of consent and during completion of study
Who cannot join
- Any cognitive impairment that limits ability to provide informed consent or authorization
- Vulnerable or protected populations (e.g. prisoners)
- Impairment that would prevent participants from completing an online survey and/or engaging in clinician assessment interviews (e.g., visual impairment, motor impairment, hearing impairment)
- Acute intoxication at the time of the assessments
- Concurrent medication/treatment:
- Receiving any fast-acting treatment for depression or anxiety (e.g. ketamine, psychedelics, deep brain stimulation, etc.) in between initial baseline assessment (A1) and Restest (A2) , or in between Follow up assessment (B1) and Retest (B2)
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- Anxiolytics: Use of benzodiazepines or other anxiety-reducing medications that could affect speech or motor activity, within the past 4 weeks.
- Antipsychotics and Mood Stabilizers: Medications that can alter cognitive and motor functions, within the past 6 weeks.
- Stimulants: Use of medications like methylphenidate or amphetamines that affect energy levels and behavior, within the past 2 weeks
- Epilepsy medication: seizure activity or medication side effects that may alter behavior, within the past 4 weeks.
- Any history or evidence of any of the following conditions:
- Neurodevelopmental, Neurocognitive, Neurodegenerative or movement disorders including, but not limited to:
- Tourette's syndrome
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
- Parkinson's Disease
- Stroke
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Facial paralysis.
- Conditions with vocal cord impact:
- Vocal cord injury or cerebrovascular accident or head trauma with residual dysarthria in the past year
- Disorders that may impact vocal cords such as acute or chronic laryngitis, vocal cord paresis or paralysis, or spasmodic dysphonia
- Past or active heavy smokers (an average of >20 cigarettes per day)
- Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders:
- Individuals with a current or past diagnosis of Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder, or other psychotic disorders, including Delusional Disorder and Brief Psychotic Disorder.
- Current hypomanic episode as defined by DSM-5 criteria. This includes those with Bipolar I Disorder, Bipolar II Disorder, or Cyclothymic Disorder who are not in a stable mood state at the time of assessment.
- Chronic Pain Conditions: Such as fibromyalgia, which may affect facial expressions and vocal tone.
- Prosthetic Facial Devices: Could affect facial recognition algorithms. Cosmetic Procedures: Such as Botox injections or facelifts that can impact facial expressions.
- Dental Work: Major procedures that might affect speech.
- Participants who have previously participated in another research project by Deliberate.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas, 77030
About this study
Official title: Symptom Evaluation and Quantification for Unified Outcomes and Individualized Assessment
The SEQUOIA-1 study evaluates the effectiveness of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in measuring depression and anxiety severity in adults. Investigators from Deliberate Solutions, Inc. and Baylor College of Medicine are conducting this study to determine whether AI can provide reliable clinical assessments of mood and anxiety disorders.
In clinical trials for new depression and anxiety treatments, human clinicians typically conduct interviews to evaluate participants' symptoms. These assessments are critical but may vary based on the clinician's experience or interview style, potentially affecting the reliability of research findings.
Read more
To address this challenge, the study team developed an AI-based Clinical Outcome Assessment tool, called AICOA®, which analyzes video interviews to measure symptoms of depression and anxiety consistently and objectively. AI-COA® has been accepted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) into the Innovative Science and Technology Approaches for New Drugs (ISTAND) pilot program.
The primary objectives of the SEQUOIA-1 study are to collect additional data to improve model accuracy and to evaluate model performance across diverse demographic groups. The study also pilots the use of an AI interviewer-an interactive digital agent-to conduct remote assessments.
During the study, participants will complete questionnaires about their symptoms and perform brief tasks. Participants will also provide feedback regarding their experience interacting with the AI interviewer.
All assessments will be securely video-recorded. Recorded videos will be analyzed by AICOA® to determine depression and anxiety symptom severity. These results will be compared to assessments conducted by human clinicians.
The development and validation of reliable, AI-driven assessment tools through this study aim to enhance the accuracy of mental health evaluations, potentially improving the testing and approval processes for new treatments targeting depression and anxiety.
- Conditions
- Depression Disorders, Anxiety Disorders
- Being tested
- AI-driven clinical interview
- Medical subject headings
- Anxiety Disorders
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
AI-driven clinical interviewOther
AI-driven clinical interview
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| A1: AI interview first, and measures set 1 | Experimental | A1: AI interview first, and measures set 1 Receives: Other: AI-driven clinical interview |
| A2: AI interview first, and measures set 2 | Experimental | A2: AI interview first, and measures set 2 Receives: Other: AI-driven clinical interview |
| B1: AI interview second, and measures set 1 | Experimental | Not described Receives: Other: AI-driven clinical interview |
| B2: A1: AI interview second and measures set 2 | Experimental | Not described Receives: Other: AI-driven clinical interview |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
HAM-D ICC
Concordance of HAM-D score between model and human raters
Measured: Between Test and Retest (within 2 days)
Secondary outcomes (2)
MADRS ICC
Concordance of MADRS score between model and human raters
Measured: Between Test and Retest (within 2 days)
HAM-A ICC
Concordance of HAM-A score between model and human raters
Measured: Between Test and Retest (within 2 days)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted11 Apr 2025
- Study start1 Sep 2025
- Primary completion28 Feb 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion28 Feb 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Depression DisordersStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Diagnosis
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 120 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Deliberate Solutions Inc.
- Sponsor type
- Industry (pharma, biotech, devices)
- Collaborators
- Baylor College of Medicine
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Marc Aafjes, Principal investigator, Deliberate Solutions Inc.
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06923995
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- SEQUOIA-1
- Other IDs
- U01FD008130
- Acronym
- SEQUOIA-1
- Status last verified
- Nov 2025
- First submitted
- 24 Mar 2025
- Last updated
- 13 Nov 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 13 Nov 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Symptom Evaluation and Quantification for Unified Outcomes and Individualized Assessment
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06923995
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- SEQUOIA-1 / SEQUOIA-1
- Conditions
- Depression Disorders, Anxiety Disorders
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 120 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Deliberate Solutions Inc.Industry (pharma, biotech, devices)
- Collaborators
- Baylor College of Medicine
- Study start
- 1 Sep 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 28 Feb 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 28 Feb 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 11 Apr 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The SEQUOIA-1 study evaluates the effectiveness of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in measuring depression and anxiety severity in adults. Investigators from Deliberate Solutions, Inc. and Baylor College of Medicine are conducting this study to determine whether AI can provide reliable clinical assessments of mood and anxiety disorders.
In clinical trials for new depression and anxiety treatments, human clinicians typically conduct interviews to evaluate participants' symptoms. These assessments are critical but may vary based on the clinician's experience or interview style, potentially affecting the reliability of research findings.
To address this challenge, the study team developed an AI-based Clinical Outcome Assessment tool, called AICOA®, which analyzes video interviews to measure symptoms of depression and anxiety consistently and objectively. AI-COA® has been accepted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) into the Innovative Science and Technology Approaches for New Drugs (ISTAND) pilot program.
The primary objectives of the SEQUOIA-1 study are to collect additional data to improve model accuracy and to evaluate model performance across diverse demographic groups. The study also pilots the use of an AI interviewer-an interactive digital agent-to conduct remote assessments.
During the study, participants will complete questionnaires about their symptoms and perform brief tasks. Participants will also provide feedback regarding their experience interacting with the AI interviewer.
All assessments will be securely video-recorded. Recorded videos will be analyzed by AICOA® to determine depression and anxiety symptom severity. These results will be compared to assessments conducted by human clinicians.
The development and validation of reliable, AI-driven assessment tools through this study aim to enhance the accuracy of mental health evaluations, potentially improving the testing and approval processes for new treatments targeting depression and anxiety.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Diagnosis
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 4
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| A1: AI interview first, and measures set 1 | Experimental | Other: AI-driven clinical interviewA1: AI interview first, and measures set 1 |
| A2: AI interview first, and measures set 2 | Experimental | Other: AI-driven clinical interviewA2: AI interview first, and measures set 2 |
| B1: AI interview second, and measures set 1 | Experimental | Other: AI-driven clinical interview |
| B2: A1: AI interview second and measures set 2 | Experimental | Other: AI-driven clinical interview |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 65 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (7 listed)
- English fluency
- 18 to 65 years of age.
- HAM-D 17 > 10
- Starting, or has started, a new treatment for depression or anxiety within 2-3 weeks of enrollment
- Access to a laptop or other computer with a well functioning microphone and webcam, and a stable Internet connection
Key exclusion criteria (30 listed)
- Any cognitive impairment that limits ability to provide informed consent or authorization
- Vulnerable or protected populations (e.g. prisoners)
- Impairment that would prevent participants from completing an online survey and/or engaging in clinician assessment interviews (e.g., visual impairment, motor impairment, hearing impairment)
- Acute intoxication at the time of the assessments
- Concurrent medication/treatment:
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| AI-driven clinical interviewAI-driven clinical interview | Other | A1: AI interview first, and measures set 1, A2: AI interview first, and measures set 2, B1: AI interview second, and measures set 1, B2: A1: AI interview second and measures set 2 |
Primary outcome
HAM-D ICC
Time frame: Between Test and Retest (within 2 days)
Concordance of HAM-D score between model and human raters
2 secondary outcomes
MADRS ICC
Time frame: Between Test and Retest (within 2 days)
HAM-A ICC
Time frame: Between Test and Retest (within 2 days)
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 13 Nov 2025.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Marc Aafjes principal investigator
Deliberate Solutions Inc.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing AI-driven clinical interview in people with Depression Disorders and Anxiety Disorders, run by Deliberate Solutions Inc. at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 7 inclusion and 30 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 Nov 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Eric Storch, PhD (713-798-3579, research@sequoiastudy.com), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
HAM-D ICC (time frame: Between Test and Retest (within 2 days)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 13 Nov 2025.