Zoe Karakikla-MitsakouLupusGPT Named Finalist for the 2025 Made With Patients Awards: A Milestone in Patient-Driven Innovation
We are thrilled to announce that LupusGPT (https://lupusgpt.org/ ), LUPUS EUROPE’s patient-led initiative to provide reliable, accessible lupus information, has been selected as a finalist for the 2025 “Made With Patients Awards” in the Best Tools Implementation category, powered by Patient Focused Medicines Development (PFMD). This global recognition celebrates the power of patient engagement and co-creation in transforming healthcare, and we are honoured to be recognised for our collaborative efforts to empower lupus patients with access to valid information.
What is LupusGPT?
LupusGPT is a groundbreaking easy to use artificial intelligence (AI) tool designed to bridge the gap in valid lupus-related information for patients. By leveraging advanced large language models and a carefully curated library of medically validated content on lupus, LupusGPT delivers accurate, up-to-date, patient-friendly answers about lupus in multiple languages. Its companion tool, EasyLupus, offers answers in even simpler language to ensure accessibility for people who find medical information even in lay language confusing or those facing challenges such as severe brain fog, not uncommon in lupus patients.
LupusGPT is operated by LUPUS EUROPE, a patient led not for profit organisation, to ensure it remains independent from commercial interests, fully free of charge, with no registration and no advertising.
Since its launch few months ago, LupusGPT has reached 5,047 active users across 34 countries, with 36,942 interactions recorded. Its natural multilingual capabilities have broken language barriers, providing information on lupus in languages as diverse as Arabic, Tagalog, Zulu, and many more. This inclusivity ensures that lupus patients, regardless of where they are or what their native language is, can access trusted information about their condition.
The initiative is a testimony to the power of collaboration. Lupus Europe, a patient-led organisation, spearheaded the project, bringing together lupus patients, specialist lupus doctors, AI specialists and industry partners to develop it. Patients shaped the tool’s development from conception to testing, while clinicians ensured medical accuracy, AI experts offered technical expertise and industry partners provided legal, PR and Technology watch outs and advice. This multi-stakeholder approach has made LupusGPT a truly patient-centred resource.
About Lupus Europe
LUPUS EUROPE is the European umbrella organisation that brings together national lupus patient organisations from across Europe. We are a non-profit independent organisation. We aim to support and empower our National Members, sharing information with them and promoting better patient-centred processes. We also work tirelessly to improve access to healthcare for all lupus patients, advocating on their behalf at EU level. We use the WHO (World Health Organisation) definition of Europe as a region, rather than a political entity.
Since our humble beginnings in 1990, we have grown to represent 30 countries which, in turn, represent over 34,000 patients in their respective memberships. LUPUS EUROPE is considered a valued partner at medical conferences, in European healthcare organisations fighting for wider patients’ rights, and in Europe-wide initiatives aimed at improving healthcare and setting “standards of care” for lupus patients. We see research and clinical trials as key to the future of lupus patients and work with all stakeholders to improve the quality and efficiency of all lupus research.
LUPUS EUROPE, until 2020 was a UK based charity (803768). From 2021 LUPUS EUROPE moved and became a Belgium based non-profit organisation (0758.650.658).
About the Made With Patients Awards and PFMD
The Made With Patients Awards, organised by Patient Focused Medicines Development (PFMD), celebrate initiatives who champion meaningful patient engagement in healthcare. PFMD is a global coalition dedicated to embedding patient voices in the development of medicines and healthcare solutions. By fostering collaboration between patients, healthcare professionals, industry, and other stakeholders, PFMD drives systemic change to ensure healthcare is built with patients, not just for them.
The Best Tools Implementation category recognises initiatives that creatively adapt existing technologies to benefit patients. LupusGPT’s nomination in this category highlights its innovative use of AI to deliver reliable lupus education, its multilingual accessibility, and its commitment to evolving based on feedback. Being named a finalist is a powerful acknowledgment of the initiative’s impact and the collaborative spirit behind it.
Why This Matters
This recognition is a celebration of the European lupus community’s resilience, creativity, and determination to improve the lives of people with lupus and to fill a critical need for accessible, trustworthy information around the condition. Every step of its development has been guided by patient voices, from selecting content to testing language capabilities to refining the user experience through beta testing.
The finalist status also highlights the importance of partnerships. Lupus patients, clinicians, industry partners, and AI developers worked together to create a tool that is not only effective but also sustainable and scalable. LupusGPT’s open-access model ensures long-term availability, while ongoing updates selected jointly by lupus doctors and patients keep it aligned with the latest medical advancements. Plans for a fully voice-activated EasyLupus later in 2025 will further enhance accessibility, particularly for those with visual impairments or literacy challenges. We also hope that the visibility brought by this recognition will increase the tool’s reach.
Looking Ahead
The winners of the 2025 “Made With Patients Awards” will be announced at the Patient Engagement Open Forum (PEOF) 2025 in Italy on June 11, 2025. Whether you’re joining in person or tuning in online, we invite you to follow this moment with us. You will soon be able to register to watch the live ceremony through this link: https://patientengagement.synapseconnect.org/campaign/made-with-patients-awards-2025-mwpa
This milestone is just the beginning. LupusGPT has the potential to serve as a model for other patient organisations, offering a scalable, low-cost solution for delivering reliable information. We are committed to sharing our insights and best practices to support similar initiatives for other diseases, contributing to breaking down barriers for patients.
A Heartfelt Thank You
While this initiative has been led forcefully by Lupus Europe, it would never have been possible without the engagement and enthusiasm of every single patient, clinician, partner, and supporter who believed in LupusGPT’s vision. Your voices, experiences, and dedication have made this initiative a reality. Together, we are proving healthcare works better when it’s built with patients.
Stay tuned for updates as we head toward the awards ceremony and join us in spreading the word about LupusGPT. Visit https://lupusgpt.org/ and https://easy.lupusgpt.org/ to explore the tool, and follow us on social media for the latest news.
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