Brenden Whittaker – cured in a CIRM-funded clinical trial focusing on his rare disease

It seems like a contradiction in terms to say that there are nearly 7,000 diseases, affecting 30 million people, that are considered rare in the US. But the definition of a rare disease is one that affects fewer than 200,000 people and the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD) has a database that lists every one of them.

Those range from relatively well known conditions such as sickle cell disease and cerebral palsy, to lesser known ones such as attenuated familial adenomatous polyposis (AFAP) – an inherited condition that increases your risk of colon cancer.

Because disease like these are so rare, in the past many individuals with them felt isolated and alone. Thanks to the internet, people are now able to find online support groups where they can get advice on coping strategies, ideas on potential therapies and, just as important, can create a sense of community.

One of the biggest problems facing the rare disease community is a lack of funding for research to develop treatments or cures. Because these diseases affect fewer than 200,000 people most pharmaceutical companies don’t invest large sums of money developing treatments; they simply wouldn’t be able to get a big enough return on their investment. This is not a value judgement. It’s just a business reality.

And that’s where CIRM comes in. We were created, in part, to help those who can’t get help from other sources. This week alone, for example, our governing Board is meeting to vote on funding clinical trials for two rare and deadly diseases – ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, and Severe Combined Immunodeficiency or SCID. This kind of funding can mean the difference between life and death.

For proof, you need look no further than Evie Vaccaro, the young girl we feature on the front of our 2016 Annual Report. Evie was born with SCID and faced a bleak future. But UCLA researcher Don Kohn, with some help from CIRM, developed a therapy that cured Evie. This latest clinical trial could help make a similar therapy available to other children with SCID.

But with almost 7,000 rare diseases it’s clear we can’t help everyone. In fact, there are only around 450 FDA-approved therapies for all these conditions. That’s why the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) and groups like them are organizing events around the US on February 28^th, which has been designated as Rare Disease Day. The goal is to raise awareness about rare diseases, and to advocate for action to help this community. Here’s a link to Advocacy Events in different states around the US.

Alone, each of these groups is small and easily overlooked. Combined they have a powerful voice, 30 million strong, that demands to be heard.