The Astellas Oncology C³ (Changing Cancer Care) Prize is a challenge that seeks to fund the best non-treatment ideas to improve cancer care for patients, caregivers and their loved ones. The 2019 challenge focused on emerging and established  ideas in three core areas – Cancer Care Journey, Cancer Health Disparities, and Cancer Survivorship.

Arches Technology, one of the 2019 C³ Prize Innovation Prize winners, was selected by an expert panel of judges during a live pitch event on October 25, 2019. Arches Technology addressed the Cancer Care Journey with MyCareCompass, a digital patient education and engagement program designed to help people impacted by cancer navigate their everyday care and receive personalized, relevant information every step of the way.

Delivering the Information Patients Need, When They Need It

Processing a cancer diagnosis and treatment plan can be very difficult, overwhelming, and emotionally draining for patients and their families. It's also a challenge for healthcare institutions to provide the right information at the right time. After analyzing millions of data points from people living with cancer, along with insights from oncology nurses, oncologists and patients, Arches Technology identified serious gaps in the way cancer care centers provide cancer education.

"In cancer, there are so many unknowns; it’s very overwhelming," said Daniella Koren, founder of Arches Technology. “I often think to myself, how can we take some unknowns out of the equation?”

MyCareCompass syncs with electronic doctors' records - known as electronic health records (EHR) - to share resources with patients based on their individual needs, from their specific diagnosis, to appointment timing, to treatment milestones. This integration establishes a clear, continuous line of patient communication without adding extra tasks for the patient or medical staff. Patients can receive timely educational content and information about each step of cancer treatment through email, text messages and automated phone calls.

“When we created MyCareCompass, we thought about how to put ourselves in the patient’s shoes,” Koren said. “It bridges the gap when patients feel pushed into a corner, and it pushes vital information to patients when they need it the most.”

What’s Next for Arches Technology

Arches Technology intends to use the grant from the C³ Prize to expand MyCareCompass , to improve the oncology journey through automation of personalized, relevant information every step of the way.

Along with the funding, all winners will have the opportunity to attend TEDMED 2020 as TEDMED Scholars, joining a unique, multidisciplinary community of leading thinkers and doers from across the landscape of health, medicine, and scientific innovation. The winners also will receive a yearlong complimentary membership to MATTER, a global healthcare startup incubator, community nexus and corporate innovation accelerator.

Stay Connected

To learn more about our 2019 winners, visit the C³ Prize website. Also, follow #C3Prize and Astellas Oncology on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to see the latest updates.