MyPal · Project

Digital System That Captures Cancer Patient Symptoms and Alerts Doctors Faster

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Imagine a cancer patient at home who starts feeling worse but their next hospital appointment is weeks away. MyPal built a digital tool — like a smart health diary — where patients (or their families) regularly report how they're feeling. The system spots worrying changes early and flags them to the care team right away, so doctors can act before things get critical. They tested this with both adults and children with cancer across 6 hospitals in 5 European countries.

By the numbers

Clinical studies conducted (RCT + observational)

Clinical sites across Europe

European countries hosting clinical validation

Consortium partners

Countries represented in consortium

Total project deliverables produced

The business problem

What needed solving

Cancer patients receiving palliative care often deteriorate between scheduled hospital visits, and doctors only find out when it's too late to intervene effectively. Current systems rely on infrequent check-ins and paper-based symptom reporting, meaning critical changes in a patient's condition go undetected for days or weeks. This gap leads to preventable emergency admissions, poorer quality of life, and higher costs for healthcare providers.

The solution

What was built

MyPal built a digital patient-reported outcome system — a prototype platform where cancer patients and caregivers regularly log symptoms, which are automatically analyzed to flag significant changes to healthcare providers. The system was validated through 2 clinical studies (an RCT for adults, an observational study for children) across 6 sites in 5 countries, producing 27 deliverables including tools for intervention design and advanced outcome reporting.

Audience

Who needs this

Healthcare IT companies building patient engagement or remote monitoring platformsPharmaceutical companies needing validated patient-reported outcome tools for oncology trialsHospital networks and health systems implementing digital palliative care pathwaysHealth insurers looking to reduce emergency admissions through early symptom detectionTelehealth providers expanding into oncology and palliative care services

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Healthcare IT & Digital Health Platforms

mid-size

Target: Companies building electronic health record systems or patient engagement platforms

If you are a healthcare IT company struggling to integrate real-time patient-reported data into clinical workflows — this project developed a validated digital PRO system tested in 2 clinical studies across 6 clinical sites that captures patient symptoms, flags deviations automatically, and feeds actionable data back to care teams. Licensing or integrating this technology could differentiate your platform in the growing palliative and supportive care market.

Pharmaceutical & Oncology

enterprise

Target: Pharma companies running oncology clinical trials

If you are a pharma company running cancer clinical trials and need better ways to capture real-world patient outcomes — MyPal built and validated patient-reported outcome tools specifically for cancer patients, including children. These tools were tested in a randomized controlled trial for adults and an observational study for children across 5 European countries, providing a ready-made solution for capturing quality-of-life endpoints.

Home Care & Telehealth Services

any

Target: Telehealth and remote patient monitoring providers

If you are a telehealth provider looking to expand into palliative and cancer care — this project created a closed-loop system where patients report symptoms digitally and clinicians receive alerts when conditions deteriorate. Validated with 17 consortium partners including hospitals in 7 countries, this approach could help you offer specialized oncology monitoring services to hospitals and insurers.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to adopt or license this technology?

The project was publicly funded as an EU Research and Innovation Action, so core results are likely available for licensing or collaboration. Specific pricing would need to be negotiated with the coordinator (CERTH, Greece). Contact through SciTransfer for a warm introduction.

Can this scale to large hospital networks or national health systems?

The system was validated across 6 clinical sites in 5 European countries with both adult and pediatric cancer patients. This multi-site, multi-country deployment demonstrates readiness for scaling to larger healthcare networks, though adaptation to local clinical workflows would be needed.

What is the IP situation — can we license or build on this?

As an EU-funded RIA project, intellectual property typically stays with the consortium partners who generated it. With 17 partners across 7 countries, licensing terms would depend on which specific components you need. SciTransfer can help identify the right IP holder and negotiate access.

Does this meet regulatory requirements for clinical use?

The project conducted a randomized controlled trial (adults) and an observational study (children), which are standard regulatory-grade evidence formats. Based on available project data, full CE marking or FDA clearance status would need to be confirmed with the consortium.

How long would integration take with our existing systems?

The project produced 27 deliverables including a working prototype with tools for intervention design and advanced outcome reporting. Based on available project data, integration timelines would depend on your existing infrastructure, but the validated prototype reduces development risk significantly.

What patient populations has this been tested with?

Two distinct clinical studies were conducted: a randomized controlled trial for adults with hematologic cancers and an observational study for children with solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. This covers a broad range of cancer types and age groups.

Is there ongoing support or development after the project ended?

The project closed in December 2022. Based on available project data, the consortium included 7 universities and 4 research organizations who may continue development. The project website (mypal-project.eu) and coordinator contact can provide current status.

Consortium

Who built it

The MyPal consortium brings together 17 partners from 7 countries (Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Italy, Sweden, UK), with a strong clinical and academic backbone: 7 universities and 4 research organizations provide deep medical and technical expertise. The 2 industry partners (including 1 SME) represent a modest 12% industry ratio, which is typical for clinical research projects but signals that commercial translation will require external business partners. The coordinator, CERTH (National Centre for Research and Technological Development, Greece), is a well-established public research body. For a business looking to commercialize these results, the consortium offers validated clinical evidence but would benefit from a commercial partner to drive market adoption.

ETHNIKO KENTRO EREVNAS KAI TECHNOLOGIKIS ANAPTYXISCoordinator · EL
PANEPISTIMIO DYTIKIS ATTIKISparticipant · EL
Masarykova univerzitaparticipant · CZ
PANEPISTIMIAKO GENIKO NOSOKOMEIO IRAKLEIOUparticipant · EL
IDRYMA TECHNOLOGIAS KAI EREVNASparticipant · EL
MEDIZINISCHE HOCHSCHULE HANNOVERparticipant · DE
EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR PALLIATIVE CAREparticipant · BE
PROMOTION SOFTWARE GMBHparticipant · DE
UNIVERSITY OF LANCASTERparticipant · UK
KAROLINSKA INSTITUTETparticipant · SE
UNIVERSITA VITA-SALUTE SAN RAFFAELEparticipant · IT
UNIVERSITAT DES SAARLANDESparticipant · DE

How to reach the team

CERTH (National Centre for Research and Technological Development), Greece — contact via SciTransfer for a facilitated introduction

Order a report on this consortium See ETHNIKO KENTRO EREVNAS KAI TECHNOLOGIKIS ANAPTYXIS profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore licensing the MyPal patient-reported outcome system or integrating it into your healthcare platform? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the right consortium partner.

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