A revolutionary new smartphone app designed to help cancer patients track and improve their care has received a comprehensive new upgrade, expanding its capabilities as a virtual patient advocate and medical assistant.

The makers of the so-called chemoWave app, rolled out last summer, is designed to help millions of American cancer survivors optimize their care and treatment have released a second version of the application.

They have also raised more than $1.5 million in a Friends & Family round of funding, secured a pilot project with UCLA Health, announced a collaboration with the American Society of Clinical Oncologists (ASCO) and Cancer.net to boost its use.

ChemoWave inventor, Matt Lashey, and his partner Ric Grenell, describe the free app as the 23andMe of cancer treatment. It uses cancer patients’ personal health information, compares it to others who’ve had chemo for the type of cancer they have, then provides advice on the best options to survive and beat it.

“We launched chemoWave six months ago knowing that our team would be making consistent updates to our technology,” Lashey tells Newsmax Health. “And chemoWave version 2 is really more of the virtual advocate that we've pictured from the very beginning.

“We've revamped the entire user experience and these new feature sets and improvements not only make it easier for someone going through cancer to track their entire journey, but this app more powerful with brand new (features) that help the user discover more of what they can do to take control of their treatment.”

Among the app’s new applications:

Symptom tracking from Cancer.Net: ChemoWave is collaborating with Cancer.Net — the patient website from the American Society of Clinical Oncology Inc. (representing physicians who care for people with cancer) — to provide information and tips that are automatically triggered when a patient records certain side effects from chemo so adjustments can be made in treatment

Automated tracking with wearables: The app now aggregates user data with Apple Health, including automated tracking of steps and activities, to improve care.

Personalized correlations: Interactive charts track a patient’s highs and lows during treatment, along with customized personal trends and tips for care.

Expanded medication management system: ChemoWave provides information on side effects, reminders about when to take drugs, and other details on 470 cancer medications.

Upgraded user experience: The new app offers thumbprint login, social media sharing, a photo library, and an easier-to-navigate home page.

New journal features: ChemoWave users can create notes through a new “journal page” where patients document their treatment experiences, or create a list of questions or action items.

Lashey, who came up with idea for the app while Grenell was undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2013, says he is looking to expand the chemoWave’s reach to go beyond cancer to include other health conditions. Grenell, a former U.S. spokesman at the United Nations, has been nominated by President Donald Trump to be the U.S. ambassador to Germany.

“Our team has been in discussion with major health organizations about expanding chemoWave into more than just cancer,” he tells Newsmax Health. “The truth is, as someone goes through any serious disease treatment there is a profound value to them tracking their journey with their phone. Not only does the patient feel empowered, but their entire care team can be more informed with the complete picture of what's happening to them, not just at the doctor but everyday, ongoing in their continuous fight to recover.

“Our technology allows patients to become more active in their care, while also allowing for a better and more effective interaction between the care team and patient. So we've been motivated to bring this free tool into other spaces, such as dialysis, HIV, lupus, or even depression and neurological treatments.”

The new upgrade to the app makes it more than simply a treatment-tracking tool, Lashey adds.

“It's a virtual advocate for patients — equipping them with real time data and insights so they can learn from their experiences,” he says.

For more information: Learn more about chemoWave at www.chemoWave.com