New Cancer-Fighting Game App Goes Global

BLOOMFIELD, Conn. and REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Aug. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Global health service company Cigna is on a mission: to get HopeLab's cancer-fighting game app Re-Mission 2: Nanobot's Revenge onto the phones and tablets of every young cancer patient in the world. The free app is available for Android and iOS (Apple) mobile devices.

To view the multimedia content associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/62267-cigna-hopelab-re-mission-2-mobile-app/

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The Re-Mission 2: Nanobot's Revenge app, developed with support from Cigna, is just one of six ground-breaking Re-Mission 2 online games designed by HopeLab to help young cancer patients fight their disease. Research shows that playing the games boosts players' positive emotions, increases self-efficacy (their belief in their ability to fight cancer) and shifts attitudes about chemotherapy, which lead to better adherence to prescribed treatments.

Each Re-Mission 2 game puts players inside the body to defeat cancer, using weapons like chemotherapy, antibiotics and the body's immune cells. The action parallels real-world medical treatments used to fight cancer. The games are designed specifically for teens and young adults who are at risk of adverse cancer outcomes due to poor treatment adherence. More than 120 teens and young adults with cancer collaborated with HopeLab to develop and test the Re-Mission 2 games, which are now available free online at www.re-mission2.org.

"Whether you have cancer, or a family member, friend or classmate does, Re-Mission 2 games are a fun way to help you understand what it takes to fight the disease. Playing these games can help you or someone you care about fight and beat cancer," said Scott Josephs, M.D., Cigna national medical officer. "We began working with HopeLab to distribute the original Re-Mission game on CD and DVD to young people with cancer in 2007.  With the new globally accessible Re-Mission 2: Nanobot's Revenge mobile app, our goal is to use online news sources, app-based promotions, and game sites to help get this cancer-fighting video game in the hands of every young person with cancer worldwide."

"Innovative new tools are effective only if they're accessible to patients, and game apps like Re-Mission 2: Nanobot's Revenge can be played on mobile devices in waiting rooms, treatment clinics and at home," said Richard Tate, HopeLab vice president of communications and marketing. "Cigna's support in developing and distributing the Re-Mission 2 online games and mobile app will help us reach young cancer patients and caregivers around the world."

The new games apply insights from a brain-imaging study published in 2012 by HopeLab and Stanford University researchers showing that Re-Mission, a video game about killing cancer in the body, strongly activates brain circuits involved in positive motivation. This reward-related activation is associated with a shift in attitudes and emotions that helped boost players' adherence to prescribed chemotherapy and antibiotic treatments in a previous study. As a result, each Re-Mission 2 game is designed to boost positive emotion, increase self-efficacy, and shift attitudes toward chemotherapy.

About HopeLab
HopeLab is a non-profit organization founded in 2001 by Board Chair Pam Omidyar. HopeLab harnesses the power and appeal of technology to improve human health and well-being. HopeLab applies a research-based, customer-focused, collaborative approach to create products that positively impact health behavior. HopeLab is part of the Omidyar Group of philanthropies. For more information, please visit hopelab.org.

About Cigna
Cigna Corporation (NYSE: CI) is a global health service company dedicated to helping people improve their health, well-being and sense of security. All products and services are provided exclusively through operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation, including Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, Life Insurance Company of North America, Cigna Life Insurance Company of New York and their affiliates. Such products and services include an integrated suite of health services, such as medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy and vision care benefits, and other related products including group disability, life, and accident coverage. Cigna has sales capability in 30 countries and jurisdictions, with approximately 75 million customer relationships throughout the world. To learn more about Cigna®, including links to follow us on Facebook or Twitter, visit www.cigna.com.

SOURCE Cigna