PatientsLikeMe @ The 20th International ALS/MND Symposium in Berlin

The 20th International Symposium on ALS/MND took place (December 8th-10th) in Berlin, Germany. This is the 4th ALS Symposium attended by PatientsLikeMe, and certainly the most exciting in terms of new findings. The annual symposium is a tremendous opportunity for researchers from around the world to meet and share new developments – it’s the big… Continue reading PatientsLikeMe @ The 20th International ALS/MND Symposium in Berlin

Harnessing New Media for Patient Advocacy (Part II)

A few weeks ago, I was invited to present on behalf of PatientsLikeMe at the Arthritis Foundation workshop held in Newport, RI.  The presentation was on how to “harness new media for patient advocacy” – the same as what I presented at a workshop for non-profits in northern New England in August.  This time the… Continue reading Harnessing New Media for Patient Advocacy (Part II)

PatientsLikeMe Facing World AIDS Day 2009

Every December 1st, we join hands with the HIV community at large in recognition of World AIDS Day. The theme of World AIDS Day this year is leadership — a fitting theme for the 2500+ patients who are leading the way through openness in the PatientsLikeMe HIV community.  These leaders have chosen to share their… Continue reading PatientsLikeMe Facing World AIDS Day 2009

PatientsLikeMe Adds Online Community for People With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

PatientsLikeMe made the following announcement last night at the TEDMED conference.  For more on Jamie Heywood’s presentation, check out what people are saying on Twitter. – – – – – – – PATIENTSLIKEME ADDS ONLINE COMMUNITY FOR PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME Researchers Use Open Medical Network to Measure Real-World Impact of XMRV Virus Cambridge,… Continue reading PatientsLikeMe Adds Online Community for People With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

The Patient Voice – Loud and Clear

We are excited to present the first member video for the PatientsLikeMe Mood community and what better way to kick it off than with one that represents the voice of the patient. In June, we launched The Patient Voice with the inaugural report on inpatient therapy, a topic often discussed by our Mood community members. … Continue reading The Patient Voice – Loud and Clear

New Parkinson’s Genetics Engine to Enhance Research Through Shared Data

Though documented as long ago as the early 1800s, medical breakthroughs in Parkinson’s disease research have been slow in coming.  That’s why PatientsLikeMe continues to get involved in the research process.  With our new genetics engine for Parkinson’s disease, patients now have a way to share information about their genetics and find others with the… Continue reading New Parkinson’s Genetics Engine to Enhance Research Through Shared Data

MS Patients Stepping into the Real-World

With 13,000+ members, the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) community is currently the largest community at PatientsLikeMe. Many of our members are just as active online as they are off. There are a countless number of ways for people to get involved in supporting research for the disease, and many patients choose to participate in the thousands… Continue reading MS Patients Stepping into the Real-World

Charting the course of PLS and PMA

Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS) and Progressive Muscular Atrophy (PMA) are two rare variants of the disease ALS. Normally, ALS affects the upper motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, as well as the lower motor neurons that send signals from the spinal cord directly to muscles. PLS and PMA are different because PLS only… Continue reading Charting the course of PLS and PMA

Rare Diseases: Well-Done Online

There are rare diseases, and there are rare diseases. Here at PatientsLikeMe our first community was built for patients with ALS (estimated US Prevalence: 30,000), and in common with our other neurological communities there is a familiar list of challenges: low public awareness, little funding for research, and a lack of adequate treatments. However, over… Continue reading Rare Diseases: Well-Done Online

An Interview with UCB’s Peter Verdru

Last month, PatientsLikeMe announced our partnership with biopharma leader, UCB, to launch a new community for people with epilepsy.  Below is an interview with UCB’s Vice President of Clinical Research, Peter Verdru, MD.  David S. Williams III, head of PatientsLikeMe business development, recently spoke with Peter about the forthcoming epilepsy community, adverse event reporting, and… Continue reading An Interview with UCB’s Peter Verdru