App helps cancer patients manage their meds

A healthcare app due to launch at the end of this year aims to empower cancer patients and improve survival outcomes by allowing patients to better manage their medications and care.

The Vine Health app has been developed by neurologist Dr Rayna Patel, and Georgina Kirby, who have only been working together for a year after meeting at an event for entrepreneurs.

Since then the duo have already raised $1.2m in a seed investment round and aim to launch the app at the end of this year.

The app works by helping cancer patients feel more in control by simplifying  tasks such as taking medications, ands gives advice about what to ask at doctor’s appointments.

It is also designed to relieve pressure on the NHS at a time when increased survival prospects for cancer patients means more people living with the disease as a long-term condition.

Vine Health uses information from smart phones and wearables to track symptoms, and uses the data to help users understand how factors such as exercise, diet, and sleep affect them.

Being able to chart symptoms between appointments means users can present doctors with a more complete picture of their overall health.

Cancer patient who are uncomfortable using an app can allow carers, partners, or relatives to log information on their behalf.

The app also allows users to take photos of appointment letter, and the relevant information can be fed into their schedule.

According to the app's founders, study evidence has shown that being able to track symptoms can improve outcomes by up to 20%

Patel studied medicine at Cambridge, and during her clinical training split time between neurology and research into cognition and decision-making.

Meanwhile, Kirby has a Masters in medical robotics at Imperial College London, and has since then led GlaxoSmithKline’s first data-driven clinical trial to predict outcomes in patients with motor neurone disease.

For more information visit vinehealth.ai