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Health startup Willowglade Technologies plans to launch its “My Breast Cancer Journey” app for iOS and Android devices by the end of the month, the first in a series of planned apps designed to provide information and support for cancer patients, the company told Re/code.
The tool aims to help those battling breast cancer keep track of their medical tests, submit information to clinical trials, access medical literature customized to their conditions and securely share progress with friends and family.
The Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., company faces stiff competition, however. A search for “breast cancer” in Apple’s App Store turns up 200 results, some from well-known institutions like the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Meanwhile, they’re up against established medical brands like WebMD and MayoClinic.
Founder John Papandrea, a health technology veteran who previously worked at SAP, Deloitte and Ernst & Young, said he hopes to stand out by providing information and guidance tailored to users’ precise diagnoses, disease stages and responses to treatments.
The app is free to download, but will be ad-supported. Users can also opt in to allow the company to share information with researchers looking for clinical trial participants. Finally, Willowglade is developing a subscription-based, white-label version of the product that cancer centers can provide to their own patients.
The company’s mission is “empowering patients as they go through the recovery process,” Papandrea said.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
