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Leaving no patient behind! Expert recommendation in the use of innovative technologies for diagnosing rare diseasesGenetic diagnosis plays a crucial role in rare diseases, particularly with the increasing availability of emerging and accessible treatments. The International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) has set its primary goal as: "Ensuring that all patients who present with a suspected rare disease receive a diagnosis within one year if their disorder is documented in the medical literature".
Research
The state-of-the-art of N-of-1 therapies and the IRDiRC N-of-1 development roadmapIn recent years, a small number of people with rare diseases caused by unique genetic variants have been treated with therapies developed specifically for them. This pioneering field of genetic N-of-1 therapies is evolving rapidly, giving hope for the individualized treatment of people living with very rare diseases.
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New funding to tackle undiagnosed diseases and improve cancer immunotherapyOne of the researchers who helped crack the code of 10-year-old Northam girl Charlotte Patterson’s incredibly rare disease has received State Government funding that will allow her to use the same methods to rapidly assess the cases of hundreds more patients living with undiagnosed disease.
Research
Spitz Melanoma of Childhood With A Novel Promoter Hijacking Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (C2orf42-ALK) RearrangementWe present the case of a prepubescent man of African descent who developed a spitzoid melanocytic proliferation showing evidence of a novel promoter hijacking ALK-C2orf42 rearrangement, with atypical histology, clinically apparent metastatic disease, and abnormal cytogenetic findings, representing a rare genuine case of "Spitz melanoma of childhood."
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Funding boost to help turn research into practical changeResearch projects sharing in a $2.1 million funding boost will seek to translate research findings into changes that benefit patients and help the health system run more efficiently.
Research
CRISPR-Cas9-generated PTCHD1 2489T>G stem cells recapitulate patient phenotype when undergoing neural inductionAn estimated 3.5%-5.9% of the global population live with rare diseases, and approximately 80% of these diseases have a genetic cause. Rare genetic diseases are difficult to diagnose, with some affected individuals experiencing diagnostic delays of 5-30 years. Next-generation sequencing has improved clinical diagnostic rates to 33%-48%. In a majority of cases, novel variants potentially causing the disease are discovered.
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Surfacing undiagnosed disease: consideration, counting and codingThe diagnostic odyssey for people living with rare diseases (PLWRD) is often prolonged for myriad reasons including an initial failure to consider rare disease and challenges to systemically and systematically identifying and tracking undiagnosed diseases across the diagnostic journey.
Research
Learning to make a difference for chILD: Value creation through network collaboration and team scienceAddressing the recognized challenges and inequalities in providing high quality healthcare for rare diseases such as children's interstitial lung disease (chILD) requires collaboration across institutional, geographical, discipline, and system boundaries. The Children's Interstitial Lung Disease Respiratory Network of Australia and New Zealand (chILDRANZ) is an example of a clinical network that brings together multidisciplinary health professionals for collaboration, peer learning, and advocacy with the goal of improving the diagnosis and management of this group of rare and ultra-rare conditions.