MYALINK - platform wins Health-i Award 2021 from Handelsblatt and Techniker Krankenkasse
03.12.2021
Dr. Maike Krause and Dr. Sophie Lehnerer, two scientists from the Department of Neurology at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, have won this year's Health-i Award in the young talent category with their project MyaLink. MyaLink is a digital platform that connects patients with rare diseases such as myasthenia gravis with their specialists.
In Germany, around four million people suffer from a rare disease, including myasthenia gravis. In this disease, the transmission between nerves and muscles is blocked, which can result in muscle weakness and sometimes life-threatening shortness of breath. Patients are then dependent on prompt treatment by specialists, who are not available in every region. With MyaLink, patients can record vital signs and disease-specific symptoms via an app in a data-protection-compliant manner and share their progress with the specialist treating them. An integrated messaging module enables patients and practitioners to contact each other if necessary and to make therapy adjustments remotely. This prevents expensive intensive care stays and replaces half of the rigidly scheduled consultations.
The joint initiative of Handelsblatt and Techniker Krankenkasse annually honours the most innovative projects in the health industry with the Health-i Award. In the young talent category, 200 other projects applied nationwide this year together with MyaLink. The jury, a panel of industry experts, was impressed by the overall concept of the telemonitoring app and praised the possibilities for improving patient safety and treatment. The award was presented on 24.11.2021 by Dr Jens Baas, Chairman of the Board of Techniker Krankenkasse. MyaLink has already received funding and developed a business plan as part of the last cohort of the BIH Digital Health Accelerator.
The spin-off of MyaLink is targeted for next year. "We are planning a clinical trial and entry into the healthcare market next year in order to make our product available to many patients as quickly as possible," says Dr Sophie Lehnerer, a neurology specialist and scientist in Prof Andreas Meisel's research group at the NeuroCure Clinical Research Centre (NCRC). If successful, MyaLink will be extended to other indications in the field of rare diseases.
Article on the winners of this year's award ceremony:
Contact:
Dr Sophie Lehnerer
Department of Neurology & NeuroCure Clinical Research Centre (NCRC)
E-mail: sophie.lehnerer@charite.de
Dr. Maike Krause
Department of Neurology & NeuroCure Clinical Research Centre (NCRC)
E-mail: maike.krause@charite.de