Seqster data-sharing platform selected to power MSAA network

Note: This story was updated March 26, 2024, to correct the affiliations of the Multiple Sclerosis Implementation Network staff and to note changes to the program’s partners.

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) has tapped healthcare technology company Seqster to power its multicenter research and learning program, which is working to improve the quality of care and health outcomes for people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

The program — called the Multiple Sclerosis Implementation Network, or MSIN — was introduced last May in collaboration with the biopharmaceutical company Novartis. It  now is being run with UTHealth Houston and UT Health Austin.

The patient-centric research network seeks to connect participating U.S. healthcare professionals at multiple care centers across the country. The idea is that centers learn from each other through shared data and experiences while adding to research, with the patient ultimately benefiting.

San Diego-based Seqster said in a press release that it was selected for its 1-Click Records and “cutting-edge” longitudinal health records. The company’s goal, the release stated, is for its operating system to “serve as a model of innovation, improvement, and implementation of evidence-based care and best practices.”

That operating system will power MSIN’s data and experience infrastructure, which combines varying health data sources to provide a holistic, real-time view of each patient. It also aims to provide speedy access to de-identified data.

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Ardy Arianpour, Seqster co-founder and CEO, said he was “profoundly excited to witness the remarkable collaboration between MSAA, clinicians, academic researchers, industry partners, and Seqster” that is the hallmark of the MSIN program.

“This transformative initiative, powered by Seqster’s groundbreaking operating system, has the potential to redefine the landscape of multiple sclerosis treatment and management,” Arianpour said.

“By uniting healthcare professionals, researchers, and the resilient MS community, we can harness the immense power of data and 1-Click Records to transform evidence-based care and elevate health outcomes to unprecedented heights,” Arianpour added.

In addition to better care and improved patient experiences and outcomes, the MSIN aims to support MS care providers and bring about healthcare parity by lobbying for treatment access for everyone living with the neurodegenerative disease.

When the initiative was announced, it was to have two advisory boards, including one comprising patients and care partners, and the other made up of healthcare professionals, researchers, and advocates.

The hope is that the network will enact evidence-based best practices for comprehensive MS centers and community-based neurology practices.

By uniting healthcare professionals, researchers, and the resilient MS community, we can harness the immense power of data and 1-Click Records to transform evidence-based care and elevate health outcomes to unprecedented heights.

“The Multiple Sclerosis Implementation Network is an innovative research program designed to identify the best treatment and management of MS,” said Gina Ross Murdoch, MSAA president and CEO.

“Powered by Seqster’s advanced operating system, this research will integrate clinical and observational findings from the medical team with the perspectives communicated by the individuals living with MS and their care partners. Aligning perfectly with MSAA’s mission of Improving Lives Today for the entire MS community, the goal of this unique, patient-centric research program is to create a learning health network designed to provide the best health outcomes for people with MS,” she added.

The initiative’s principal investigator is Maria E. Fernandez, PhD, vice president of population health and implementation science at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health and co-director of the UTHealth Houston Institute for Implementation Science. Fernandez is working alongside Leorah Freeman, MD, PhD, medical director of the MS and Neuroimmunology Center at UT Health Austin, the clinical practice of Dell Medical School.

For more information about the Multiple Sclerosis Implementation Network, call Diana Cruz, manager of public relations and engagement, at 800-532-7667, ext. 103, or send an email to [email protected].