Vinehealth and University of Surrey awarded £1m grant to trial a support app for patients undergoing cancer treatment

The support app provides tailored advice to patients undergoing treatment for cancer,, and the app will be trialled in  colorectal, breast and lung cancer patients across four NHS sites – helping them to better self-manage their medications, side effects, symptoms and lifestyles.

The app seamlessly integrates with smartphone technology, and it is hoped that its use can improve quality of life and reduce the use of emergency healthcare in patients undergoing treatment.

It is anticipated that 300 patients will be recruited, and randomised to receive either standard of care or standard of care and additional support through the app.

The trial will be sponsored by University of Surrey and run by Surrey Clinical Trials Unit, led by Professor Simon Skene and Dr Agnieszka Michael.

Simon Skene, Professor of Medical Statistics at University of Surrey and Director of Surrey Clinical Trials Unit, said:

“We are delighted to be working with Vinehealth on this exciting project. A randomised controlled trial is a crucial step towards providing evidence in support of the app. This has the potential to change the scope of care and outcomes for cancer patients in the UK, using remote digital care combining behavioural science and AI to improve patient quality of life.”

Dr Rayna Patel, Co-Founder and CEO at Vinehealth, said:

"Providing remote patient support and enabling clinicians to understand how their patients are doing remotely is crucial in a post-pandemic world. Vinehealth is at the forefront of this shift and we are delighted to be recognised in the way by Innovate UK.”