The Department of Biological Sciences will host the 15th Annual Rare Disease Day event at Royal Holloway, University of London on Friday 28 February 2025.
Around 100 visiting students and their teachers from nine different schools will join in a packed programme of talks and hands on lab activities, supported by colleagues, current undergraduate and postgraduate students. Special guest, Ms Rajeshri Badiani (Founder of FSHD UK) will give a talk on ‘From a voluntary group to a formalized charity: the progress of FSHD UK’. This and other talks will be livestreamed from 10am on the day at this link:
Members of the wider community are welcome to visit the partners exhibition at the Windsor Building foyer between 11am-1pm with exhibitors from a wide range of organisations involved in health research and patient support, plus research posters from Biological Sciences and the History department. There will also be a stand in the Davison library foyer showcasing Rare Disease Day and with microscopes showing some slides on muscular dystrophy.
Celebrated worldwide as a globally-coordinated movement to draw attention to rare diseases and the millions of people who are affected by them, Rare Disease Day highlights the need for more research and funding to help people affected and their families. The theme for this year is ‘More than you can imagine’ in reference to the power of resilience and connection of those affected.
Royal Holloway is a leading institution in the development of novel therapies for rare diseases, including Spinal muscular atrophy, Ataxia telangiectasia, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Motor neuron disease. Our scientists are at the forefront in developing innovative techniques in gene-based therapy, and through this event, they hope to ignite wider interest in this important area and encourage the next generation of scientists.
Event lead organiser, Prof Rafael J. Yáñez-Muñoz (Professor of Advanced Therapy at Royal Holloway University of London) commented,
“We’re proud to have hosted an annual Rare Disease Day event at Royal Holloway for 15 consecutive years, contributing to raising awareness of rare diseases and their health and social costs. The event showcases our research and teaching on rare diseases at Royal Holloway, as well as the work of multiple partner associations that come to participate. Our undergraduate and postgraduate students do a stellar job in helping to deliver most of the activities. The event is targeted to GCSE and A-level students, and has always been greatly appreciated by attendees and their schools, many of whom keep coming back year on year.”
Royal Holloway also illuminates Founder’s building in the colours of Rare Disease Day on 28th February, participating in the Global chain of lights that highlights this important day across the world.
In Europe, a rare disease is defined as one with an incidence of less than 1 in 2,000 people. While each of them is rare, there are more than 9,600 rare diseases, which together affect 3.5 million people in the UK, taking 20% of all healthcare costs.
Read more about our Rare Disease Day programme at this link
