MSU’s partnership with Antidote will bridge the gap between interested patients and myositis research opportunities

LINCOLN, DE, UNITED STATES, April 3, 2018 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Myositis Support and Understanding Association (MSU), a patient-centered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is proud to announce a partnership with Antidote Technologies, a digital health company that connects patients with research, to provide clinical research access and tools to their community. By providing a clinical trial search engine powered by Antidote on their website, MSU will help patients find their clinical trial match and accelerate much-needed research in myositis, a group of rare, chronic inflammatory muscle conditions with no known effective long-term treatments.

“This is a pivotal time for myositis research. There are many current and planned research studies underway and at MSU, we want to ensure we are able to connect our members to these trials,” said MSU’s Co-Founding Director (and a patient with dermatomyositis), Emily A. Filmore. “Having a large patient community allows us to directly provide patients with important information on the latest research and on trials that are looking for participants.”

Myositis refers to a group of rare, chronic, immune-mediated, inflammatory conditions that can cause muscle weakness, skin rashes, and lung disease. In some cases, the effects of these diseases can be severe, leaving patients fully disabled. There are currently no approved treatments for myositis other than steroids, which are not recommended for long-term use. Research into potential medications and therapies is necessary to improve the lives of the 50,000-75,000 people living with myositis in the United States. Clinical trials afford patients the opportunity to gain access to the latest treatments in development and help bring them to market. However, researchers often struggle to find myositis patients to take part in trials, causing research delays.

MSU’s partnership with Antidote will bridge the gap between interested patients and these research opportunities. The company’s signature technology is Antidote Match™, the first clinical trial matching engine that uses structured eligibility criteria and algorithms to explore a patient’s eligibility for every trial. Patients answer a handful of questions about their condition to be provided with a list of study matches within their preferred area. They may opt to receive more information about study matches and are encouraged to work with their doctor to apply to a study site.

“This tool is an amazing way for myositis patients to easily search clinical trials based on more than diagnosis and location alone,” says Jerry Williams, Founder and President of MSU and a patient with refractory polymyositis. “The ability to narrow research options based on a patient’s particular situation and each trials’ inclusion and exclusion criteria is a unique way to help patients find easy-to-understand information on trials for which they are likely a match.”

Patients with myositis may also have an overlap syndrome with other autoimmune diseases. Antidote Match does not limit users to search only for myositis trials; users can search for any diseases of interest.

To begin your myositis clinical trials search, visit www.Understandingmyositis.org/clinical-trials.

About Myositis Support and Understanding

Myositis Support and Understanding Association (MSU), founded by Jerry Williams, a patient with polymyositis, was created after identifying a need for more patient-focused programs and services. MSU is an all-volunteer, patient-centered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supporting patients and caregivers affected by the Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies, which include dermatomyositis, polymyositis, necrotizing autoimmune myopathy, and inclusion body myositis, along with the juvenile forms of dermato- and polymyositis.

MSU is instrumental in helping to improve the lives of patients fighting this rare, complicated immune-mediated muscle, skin, and often multi-organ disease by being the very first patient-centered organization to offer live and interactive, online video patient support and education sessions that simply make sense for those living with a muscle disease that involves limited mobility and with patients spread across the world.

MSU also provides a “Simply Put” education series, offers clinical trial matching, advocacy, online support, awareness building programs, and need-based financial assistance for patients. As a fast-growing nonprofit organization, MSU is continually assessing the needs of the myositis community to move forward in providing programs, technology, and partnerships that match with their mission and vision.

About Antidote

Antidote is a digital health company on a mission to accelerate the breakthroughs of new treatments by bridging the gap between medical research and the people who need it. In a world where 80 percent of medical trials are delayed or closed due to lack of participants,[3] Antidote uses cutting-edge technology to match the right patients with the right trials, helping medical researchers make faster progress, and offering new treatment options to patients. Antidote Match, the company’s unique trial matching tool, currently powers clinical trial search for more than 250 patient communities and health tools—bringing clinical trial awareness, matching, and access to more than 15 million patients a month. Antidote was launched as TrialReach and is based in the US and UK. For more information, please visit http://www.antidote.me.

Jerry Williams
Myositis Support and Understanding Association, Inc.
302-339-3241
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