Thaddeus Reichley, a resident of Sleepy Hollow in Marin County, was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic melanoma in 2023. After standard treatments failed, he began searching for clinical trials but found the process overwhelming due to complex medical jargon and unclear eligibility criteria.
During a coffee meeting with former Marin resident Ken Kurtzig, Reichley shared his frustration. Kurtzig, who runs the Impact App Challenge program for high school students, connected Reichley with two teens: Jaya Breene, a junior at The Branson School in Ross, and Cooper Marr, a sophomore at Truckee High School.
The students developed Trialify, an app that aggregates data from clinicaltrials.gov and presents it in a user-friendly format, helping patients identify trials they may qualify for. Reichley, now in a trial himself, praised the teens for their maturity and dedication.
The app is designed to be used alongside a patient's medical team.