New Patient-Led Matchmaking Platform to Launch in 2025
December 16, 2024
The Rising Tide Foundation for Clinical Cancer Research (RTFCCR) is proud to be a funding partner for this crucial project. The importance of patient involvement in research is well-established, and the new Matchmaking Platform will be a valuable tool for connecting researchers with knowledgeable patient partners.
RTFCCR, along with the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), is providing funding to ensure the project’s successful implementation and operation. This collaborative effort will help accelerate systematic change toward more meaningful, patient-centric research projects.
A new matchmaking platform designed to connect researchers with patient partners is set to be launched by the end of 2025, with a pilot program focusing on cancer and haematology. The platform is the result of a three-year, patient-led project to address the difficulties researchers face in finding suitable patient partners and the challenges patient organizations encounter when trying to connect with research groups. The project is being coordinated by the European Patient Advocacy Institute (EPAI), with support from several other patient organizations.
The lack of a unified, accessible matchmaking service covering different disease areas and countries was identified as a significant gap in the current landscape. Existing patient expert databases are often limited in scope or accessibility, and many do not involve the patient community in management and updates. The new platform aims to address these shortcomings by providing a patient-led, accessible service that connects knowledgeable patients and carers with researchers from academia, regulatory bodies, and industry across a broader range of conditions.
The key features of the Matchmaking Platform include:
- A patient and advocate competency matrix to ensure patients are matched to research projects based on their expertise.
- An automated search function to help researchers quickly identify suitable patient partners.
- Tracking and impact measurement to monitor the quality and impact of engagements facilitated through the platform.
Following the launch of the pilot program, the goal is to expand the platform to include other disease areas in the coming years. The EPAI and its consortium partners are inviting patient organizations, researchers, regulatory bodies, pharmaceutical companies, and other stakeholders to join the initiative.
Eglys Gonzalez, Director of the Matchmaking Platform, can be contacted at eglys@patientadvocacy.eu for more information or to get involved.
About EPAI
The European Patient Advocacy Institute (EPAI) is a non-profit institution registered in Germany that hosts large evidence- and education-related advocacy initiatives and programs for the cancer and hematology patient communities. For example, EPAI currently runs the Secretariat for WECAN and the International MDS Alliance, while hosting many of WECAN’s programs and initiatives, as well as the Training Program for Young Patient Advocates in Rheumatology and Dermatology). Furthermore, EPAI is also assisting the EHA in developing and delivering a training program for Adolescent and Young Adult patients and is a co-founding organization for the HARMONY Foundation. EPAI is deeply interlinked with the cancer patient community on a European and international level, respecting and strengthening the roles of patient organizations without competing with them.
About Rising Tide Foundation for Clinical Cancer Research
Rising Tide Foundation for Clinical Cancer Research is a charitable, non-profit organization established in 2010 and located in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. RTFCCR’s primary consideration in granting support is given to truly innovative, unique, patient-centered clinical research. With patients at the core of the mission, the foundation strives to support clinical trials resulting in the creation of less toxic therapeutic approaches, better disease burden management, earlier cancer detection, and innovative intervention strategies that will lead to increased survival and quality of life.