RAREsummit brings goodwill to genomics

There was a lot of goodwill – even love – at the Wellcome Genome Campus conference centre for RAREsummit this week.

The breakthrough event for Cambridge families with rare disease offspring occurred late last year, when Cambridge Rare Disease Network (CRDN) – the organisers of this gathering of academics, scientists, investors, entrepreneurs, medics and relevant family network leaders – hosted RAREfest at the Guildhall.

The palpable emotion felt by many families when they realise their children will receive relevant treatment for their rare diseases – there are 1.5million rare disease sufferers in the UK, and 95 per cent of them have no treatment – reflects their relief that they will not be alone in their struggle, and that treatment is on the way. Not for nothing did Jonathan Milner, Abcam’s founder and a CRDN trustee, say in his introductory keynote that the charity “is very close to my heart”.