The IgA Nephropathy Foundation is a patient-led, patient-centric nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure for IgA Nephropathy (IgAN), a rare autoimmune kidney disease. The Foundation funds research, promotes patient advocacy, and builds a support network that connects patients, caregivers, doctors, nutritionists, and other specialists.
The Situation
To better support people living with IgAN and their caregivers, the IgA Nephropathy Foundation identified the need for a dedicated digital space where community members could connect, share trusted health and wellness information, and organize personal medical information in one place. Existing online options did not fully meet the needs of the IgAN community or reflect the Foundation’s patient-first approach.
AGP initially launched the IgAN+ mobile app in February 2024. In October 2025, a second phase of the app was released, expanding functionality and enhancing engagement based on evolving goals. Recently, a third phase of the app was launched to add support for health management and administrative workflows.
The Work
AGP partnered with the IgA Nephropathy Foundation to design, build, and continuously evolve the IgAN+ app through a phased approach focused on community, usability, and long‑term engagement.
Phase 1: Core community and wellness features
The initial version of the app focused on creating a supportive, patient-centered digital environment, including:
- A private community space for people living with IgAN and caregivers
- Discussion forums designed as an alternative to public platforms such as Reddit
- The ability to find and message other users based on location, stage of IgAN, and shared interests
- Curated doctor-recommended health and wellness content
- IgAN-friendly recipes and nutrition information
- Wellness tools and practices
- A directory to help users find IgAN-aware practitioners
- A dedicated medical space for organizing doctor appointment notes and lab data
Phase 2: Engagement and experience enhancements
Phase 2 of the app focused on increasing participation, improving navigation, and refining functionality:
- Gamification features such as leaderboards and badges to encourage user engagement (posting, commenting, starting conversations, and building connections)
- Updated navigation using a hamburger menu
- A revised home screen highlighting discussions, recipes, and community activity
- Additional notifications and alerts
Phase 3: Expanded health management and administrative tools
Phase 3 builds on the app’s core community features to support day‑to‑day health management and streamline administrative workflows, including:
- The ability for users to set reminders to take prescribed medications
- A voice‑note option that allows users to record medical notes instead of typing
- Controls that let users accept or deny automated app messages
- Administrative functionality that enables admins to search and manage pending and denied applicant records within the app
Technical architecture
The IgAN+ app is built in React Native and uses Firebase for authentication, analytics, and storage, with Notifee managing notifications. Select content and data are pulled from an existing WordPress back end, which also supports the Foundation’s website.
This architecture allows the app to scale over time while supporting ongoing feature expansion and data integrity.
The Results
The IgAN Foundation has expressed strong satisfaction with the app and its impact on the community. The IgAN+ app now supports more than 500 users, who are actively:
- Building connections with others in the IgAN community
- Participating in discussions
- Using recipes and wellness content
- Logging medical and nutrition information
The app provides a centralized, supportive digital space that reflects the Foundation’s mission and continues to evolve alongside community needs.
