EncephalAPP: an application for gathering autoimmune encephalitis data
Encephalitis can be a disabling disease, especially if you forget to give details of your problems (including changes in your body and mind) to your physician.
We are creating a new app for patients and physicians to include data related to encephalitis. It will be available for use on both computers and cell phones and will be completely free of charge. This app will help you report important things (everything you consider relevant), and with that information, your healthcare professionals will be able to improve your treatment.
Furthermore, with the increasing availability of information, we will gain a better understanding of the different types of encephalitis and hopefully develop new treatments for this condition. As an open-source app, we also want it to make life easier for patients, healthcare professionals, and researchers in low- and middle-income countries, giving voice and possibilities to everyone.
Dr Lucas Scárdua-Silva
Lucas Scárdua-Silva, MD, PhD, is a Neurologist at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil, where he earned his PhD in late 2024. With specialized training in Neurophysiology, Autoimmune Encephalitis, and Epilepsy, he currently serves as an assistant neurologist in the Epilepsy and Autoimmune Encephalitis clinics. His research career began in 2011, covering demyelinating diseases and vaccinology during his undergraduate years, followed by Master’s and PhD research on autoimmune encephalitis, demyelinating diseases, and post-acute COVID-19 sequelae (PASC). Lucas acknowledges and is grateful for Encephalitis International’s support for his ongoing work in the field.
UNICAMP is one of Brazil’s most prestigious universities, accounting for 8% of the total academic research produced in the country. The Neuroimaging Laboratory (LNi) at UNICAMP, has neurologists, neurosurgeons, psychiatrists, physicists, neuropsychologists, engineers, biologists, physical educators and statisticians is primarily focused on neuroimaging, neuropsychology, and clinical research, and maintains extensive collaborations with both local and international teams. These partnerships also facilitate multidisciplinary research in fields such as immunology, molecular genetics, and basic neurosciences, resulting in high-impact papers published in prominent journals including Nature, Science, JAMA, and Neurology. The laboratory is led by Dr. Fernando Cendes, who also serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Epilepsia, the leading global journal in epilepsy research.
