For a lot of most cancers sufferers and their households, the questions that take centre stage after their prognosis and subsequent line of therapy are: ‘What are the therapy choices obtainable’, ‘what scientific trials may one take part in’ and ‘who’re the specialists for a specific most cancers sort’.
To have entry to personalised solutions to such questions, CURIA, an application-based platform, seeks to empower most cancers sufferers and their households with data to steer their most cancers journey.
Developed by AI firm Innoplexus in June final yr, the appliance has been downloaded greater than 175,000 instances globally. After profitable launches in Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and France, CURIA was launched in India in April, the place it has gained greater than 70,000 energetic customers in three months.
“When my finest good friend and mentor was identified with most cancers, we went by means of his therapy journey and had questions. We looked for solutions on-line and right here it turned all too clear that this data just isn’t simple to seek out. That is the expertise of hundreds of thousands of individuals identified with most cancers. We based Innoplexus, an AI firm, driving drug discovery along with pharma firms and biotechs in 2015. Out of this got here CURIA, an app which helps them navigate their most cancers journey,” mentioned Dr Gunjan Bhardwaj, founder and CEO, Innoplexus, Germany.
The applying is constructed over the OncoCoin platform, which makes use of AI know-how to look 95 per cent of the web for updates to registries, drug approval websites, and scientific trial databases. Sufferers registered with the appliance reply a questionnaire about their most cancers sort, stage and demographics. Then they obtain details about remedies, scientific trials and specialists tailor-made to their oncological profile. The knowledge can be always reviewed by a crew of specialists earlier than it’s offered to the affected person. Physicians can have a broad overview of obtainable scientific trials for his or her affected person with inclusion and exclusion standards. Along with their sufferers, they will submit functions for scientific trials, making the method simpler.
“All sufferers ought to have entry to the knowledge they should make choices along with their physician. However like many diseases, most cancers continues to be thought of a taboo in India, which makes it tough for sufferers and their households to get entry to genuine data and care. In keeping with one research, 70 per cent of most cancers sufferers are dissatisfied with the knowledge they obtain,” mentioned Amit Ananpara, Innoplexus India co-MD, based mostly in Pune.
Most cancers instances in India and globally are on the rise and there are steady improvements in most cancers remedies and modern scientific trials, he mentioned. “For the medical fraternity, the developments transfer so quick, it’s tough to maintain up with who’s operating essentially the most modern trials, the place, and what the newest remedies are. Instruments similar to CURIA are vital to make sure oncologists are open to discussing sufferers’ choices with them,” added Ananpara.
For the appliance to achieve the grassroot degree, it should quickly be obtainable in additional regional languages in India, mentioned Ananpara. It’s presently obtainable in English, German, Spanish, French and Italian. Bhardwaj added that shifting ahead, CURIA could have a second opinion service particularly for sufferers in India to get the most effective line of therapy as per their wants.
Aside from a robust AI spine and easy consumer interface, CURIA’s widespread characteristic ‘Most cancers Twin’ permits sufferers with comparable oncology profiles to share experiences and empower one another over personal chats. The algorithm matches sufferers with essentially the most comparable different most cancers profiles and the chats are encrypted by blockchain.
Speaking about most cancers turning into the ‘Forgotten Huge C’ amid the pandemic, Bhardwaj mentioned that instances have gone undiagnosed, remedies have been delayed and psychological well being of most cancers sufferers who’ve needed to isolate has deteriorated. “The app served a a lot wanted useful resource for sufferers who’ve had physician’s appointments cancelled or skilled lowered entry to therapy ensuing from the pandemic. The app helped sufferers from the psychological well being perspective, matching essentially the most comparable sufferers to one another so they might share experiences privately,”
Bhardwaj mentioned that digital well being had a gradual progress curve earlier than the pandemic and although it has been clear that telemedicine and apps for sufferers to handle their well being have been wanted for a very long time, the pandemic has considerably sped up the tempo of adoption.
“Apps similar to CURIA alleviate the healthcare system as sufferers have entry to dependable, tailor-made data past the physician’s workplace to assist them perceive their illness and choices. It additionally reduces the necessity for in-hospital appointments. Additional, when the healthcare focus has been on different matters, it helps sufferers perceive what the most effective therapy choices may very well be for them…,” he mentioned.
