The Rare Disease Connection

In honor of RARE Disease Day on February 29th, CorDynamics was looking for a way to contribute, participate and make a difference.

Little did I know the ideal opportunity was right in my backyard. I would learn that I was connected to it in more ways than one.

Connection 1: My youngest son came home from school excited about “Dollar Denim Days” in honor of RARE Disease Day and in support of the Global Genes Project. The Spencer Loomis Elementary students would make and purchase denim ribbons as well as wear their favorite pair of jeans to school.

Connection 2: Two Hearts Rock, the non-profit organization we collaborated with in July for The Beat Batten & Rock Rare Disease concert given by Jesse Malin, was orchestrating the Dollar Denim Days event.

Connection 3: The proceeds would go toward research on Rett Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder of the nervous system and the devastating diagnosis given to Amelia “Emmy” Foster, the 3-year-old daughter of Colleen Foster, who was a former teacher kindergarten teacher at the school. My oldest son had been one of Mrs. Foster’s students.

Connection 4: Upon further investigation, I learned Rett Syndrome robs children of their verbal and motor skills and is often associated with a dangerous heart condition that CorDynamics regularly researches—long QT syndrome.

Connection 5: CorDynamics jumped on board and pledged to match the funds raised by Spencer Loomis Elementary students in their Dollar Denim Days fundraiser next week.

With millions of Americans suffering from rare diseases, these connections are everywhere—perhaps in your backyard too.

Make the most of February’s bonus day on the 29th…get connected to Rare Disease Day.

FDA Orphan Drug Designation

There are currently about 7,000 orphans out there waiting to be adopted, to be supported, to be cured. Many of us don’t even know their names: Kawasaki. Porphyria. Pulmonary Arterial Disease.

Orphan Status is a designation given by the FDA to identify rare diseases with unmet medical needs but with potentially promising compounds currently being researched. Orphan drugs receive expedited FDA reviews and fast tracks to clinical trials, providing hope for cures, treatments or comfort.

>>>>>  Nearly 2,400 experimental compounds have orphan drug designations.

>>>>>  So far, only 367 of these orphan drugs have been approved by the FDA.

Experts agree, coordinated collaboration and resources on all fronts will be the key to finding a potential drug therapy for these orphan drugs. Collaboration is also essential for the rare diseases still searching for enough answers to even begin the orphan drug development stage.

You may ask, what can I do to help? What can my organization do?

Adopt An Orphan

• Pick an orphan disease with a compound in the works or a rare disease to adopt.

• Show your support and learn more about the disease, follow related organizations on Facebook or in the news.  One that we follow on Facebook is Two Hearts Rock and Global Genes Project.

• Donate your time, participate in a sponsored event, or fundraiser.

• “Wear That You Care” on World Rare Disease Day, February 29th. Wear “jeans” for “genes” and encourage your workplace, schools, and sport teams to do so too to raise awareness for the Global Genes Project.

At CorDynamics, we sponsored a fundraising event for Hope4Bridget and Batten Disease (a rare disease) as well as continue to work with our clients on promising compounds for the potential treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (an orphan designated rare disease).

Working together, we will continue to adopt more of these orphan diseases and meet more unmet medical needs. To learn more about this issue and how you can help, jump into today’s blog hop sponsored by the R.A.R.E Project.