You know those rare moments that give you goosebumps? The ones that provide a new perspective, connect two ideas in a way you’ve never considered before, or just really hit home?
For Rare Disease Day this February, you’ll find a curation of those moments here — The Rare Moments. Patients, families, researchers, and people working to advance rare disease treatments will be using this space to pass on their goosebump moments. From past moments, to the significant highlights of the 2024 Rare Disease Week and Rare Disease Day, and even hopes for the future, here you will find diverse and valuable insights that matter to our community and expand our reader’s understanding of what it means to live with and work with rare diseases.
Be sure to check back regularly throughout the month to catch the latest posts and submit your Rare Moment for consideration!
See what’s been sharedThis feed is no longer active or accepting submissions, but we encourage you to check out the posts below which were submitted during February 2024 in support of Rare Disease Day.
Thank you for sharing and reading this curation from our rare disease community!
Happening now through 25 Feb – VCP International Conference!! Check out the abstracts from the many researchers who are participating in this meeting. By bridging the gaps between various disciplines, from oncology to neurodegeneration, the Cure VCP conference will drive innovation and coordination in research, accelerating our progress to find a cure for valosin-containing protein (VCP) associate multisystem proteinopathy (MSP).
www.curevcp.org/posterabstractsFall of 2015, I attended my first rare disease advocacy conference. It was Global Genes Patient Advocacy Summit. I was overwhelmed and amazed at how many people were advocating for rare diseases and how many different paths they took. Meeting Bo Bigelow there certainly shaped my path. Although we faced different diagnoses (USP7 for his daughter Tess and Menkes Syndrome for my son Lucas), we had so much in common. Eventually we co-founded The Disorder Channel to stream rare disease films on TV. We collaborated with Global Genes to screen some of these films. And three years ago, I joined the staff at Global Genes to lead an online support community, to encourage others to share their #ZebraTales, to teach them rare disease filmmaking, and to help plan that same conference that started it all for me.
globalgenes.org/world-rare-disease-day/I’ve worked in this industry approaching 25 years. When I first started, most clinical trials focused on treating disease symptoms so patients could feel better and live fuller lives. Today, though, we’re treating the underlying pathophysiology of diseases, and we’ve only just begun to do amazing science. I’m proud of the work our global teams are doing in Precision Medicine and Personalized Medicines, hopefully leading to a brighter future for rare disease patients everywhere.
This year for Rare Disease Day the Tatton Brown Rahman Syndrome (TBRS) Community is celebrating our many accomplishments from 2023! We are building on that momentum in 2024 with additional research into TBRS biomarkers and continuing to enroll samples into our TBRS biobank. Read more and celebrate with us here:
Nick Allegretti won his 3rd Super Bowl ring this past weekend as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs! Nick is an advocate for the rare disease community through his work with Uplifting Athletes, where he is currently an active Board Member.
The International Autoimmune Encephalitis Society (IAES) is the only family/patient-centered organization for people with a diagnosis of Autoimmune Encephalitis. The services we provide are all-inclusive, from getting a diagnosis to recovery and the many challenges experienced on that journey. IAES provides science-based information backed by trusted medical experts in the field of autoimmune neurology and relies on the expertise of our Medical Advisory Board. We are an established non-profit organization with a history of supporting Autoimmune Encephalitis Warriors (patients, caregivers, and families) through their journey from diagnosis to recovery.
International Autoimmune Encephalitis Society
What does the future of genomic medicine look like?
Join us for our FREE webinar on February 27th, 1-3 pm ET, as we explore some possible answers to this question. Kelly Athman from the Institute for Genomics Education, Workforce & Leadership at Sarah Lawrence College will guide us through our journey into the future with talks from Amy Gaviglio, Billie Lianoglou, and Derek Ansel. We will discuss newborn screening modernization, cutting-edge therapeutic advancements, and the genomics workforce evolution.
This event is open to all. Please register at the link below.
www.sarahlawrence.edu/news-events/events/detail/15718The Therapeutic Odyssey Series Part 3: The Future of Therapeutics in Genomic Medicine
There’s always something happening at Sarah Lawrence College. Browse our Events Calendar and learn more about upcoming events on campus and open to the public.
www.sarahlawrence.eduThe Worldwide Rare Disease team just registered for the Rare Disease Day at NIH 2024 event located at NIH Main Campus on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST. I’m personally excited to learn more about what the NIH is thinking about in terms of AI during the session, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Its Potential Role in Rare Diseases. Register at the link below, and see you there.
ncats.nih.gov/news-events/events/rddWe have been able to push forward 30 years of work on galactosialidosis disorder one step closer to clinical trial after submitting a pre-IND to FDA in 2024!
Check out our website, below:
Over the weekend, we attended the Uplifting Athletes 2024 Young Investigator Draft. We are proud to sponsor this event. If you were unable to attend the draft, you can watch a recording of the event on YouTube, link below. Congratulations to all the draftees!