PatientsLikeMe

PatientsLikeMe is a digital health platform and patient community founded in the early 2000s by brothers Ben, Jamie Heywood, and Jeff Cole. The platform connects patients to share real-world health experiences, aiming to improve health outcomes. Initially focused on ALS, it has expanded to cover nearly 2,900 health conditions and has a community of over 850,000 members worldwide.

The platform allows users to create detailed health profiles to track symptoms, treatments, and quality of life. Key features include data visualization dashboards, discussion forums for support, and quantitative data aggregation to help users understand their health better. PatientsLikeMe operates with a patient-first mission, selling anonymized patient data to pharmaceutical partners while ensuring transparency in data usage. The company collaborates with major pharmaceutical firms to support research and enhance treatment options for patients.