Chosen finalists will have the opportunity to present their ideas to an expert panel of judges consisting of the healthcare industry, medical and patient leaders. The winner will be awarded a $25,000 monetary grant.
FREMONT, CA: Lyfebulb, a patient-empowerment platform that connects patients with industry to support user-driven innovation, and Bristol Myers Squibb, a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, and provides innovative medicines to help patients fight serious diseases, declared the launch of two key partnership initiatives that would source patient-driven innovation to address unfulfilled requirements in the management of multiple sclerosis (MS) as well as raise collective awareness about this chronic disease.
An Innovation Challenge will take place online in March 2021 and is open to patient entrepreneurs who have been directly impacted by MS as either a patient or support partner for a loved one and whose US-based companies are working to help address obstacles that people living with or affected by MS face in their daily lives. Chosen finalists will have the opportunity to present their ideas to an expert panel of judges consisted of the healthcare industry, medical and patient leaders, and the winner will be awarded a $25,000 monetary grant.
Applications for the Innovation Challenge will be available through December 9, 2020.
"The unpredictable and changing nature of MS symptoms leads to challenges for those living with the disease, and we're proud to be working with Lyfebulb to bring entrepreneurial members of the community together to identify meaningful, patient-driven solutions," stated Tina Deignan, Vice President and US Business Unit Head of Immunology at Bristol Myers Squibb.
A series of virtual speaker sessions, leading up to the Innovation Challenge, will occur starting in October 2020 and provide MS community members with the opportunity to engage in panel discussions dedicated to raising collective awareness of MS and encouraging change. Speaker panels will include industry leaders, patients as well as 2019 Innovation Challenge alumni.
The speaker sessions would be open to all members of the MS community. Also, any information about attending is available at Lyfebulb.com.
"We are thrilled to support this patient-driven innovation in MS in partnership with Bristol Myers Squibb," stated Dr. Karin Hehenberger, CEO and Founder of Lyfebulb. "While great strides have been made, the burdens of MS continue to take a toll on the nearly one million people living with the disease in the US,1 and their support partners. By placing patients at the forefront and spotlighting their voice and solutions, we hope to inspire all members of the community to take charge and create positive change."
