Cambridge Rare Disease Network (CRDN) is hosting a Rare Disease panel as part of the new Cambridge Biotech Week Health Horizons Future Healthcare Forum.

Health Horizons Future Healthcare Forum is a high calibre, two-day conference focusing on the future of the healthcare industry. Created by the Global Innovation Forum.

CO-CREATING THE HEALTHCARE OF TOMORROW

Over the previous 20 years, we have seen a significant change in the healthcare industry. Small molecules have been pushed out of the blockbuster limelight by biologics. Decreasing sequencing cost has allowed more targeted R&D and the use of increasingly interdisciplinary data to influence prognosis has become standard practice. All of this points to a healthcare future with an increasingly personalized approach. But how will this future come together?

RARE DISEASE: CROSS-SECTOR COLLABORATION AND DIVERGENT THINKING IN DEVELOPING THERAPIES. Are we on the cusp of a rare disease treatment revolution?

Delegates will hear from a range of experts in this field, each with a unique perspective on the future of healthcare, treatments and cures for those affected by rare diseases.

* Prof Tim Cox – Prof of Medicine Emeritus & Director of Research, University of Cambridge  & CRDN trustee.  A clinician with a passion for solving the long and tortured business of drug discovery, development and approval for rare diseases

* Dr Tim Guilliams –  Co-founder & CEO, Healx Ltd, and Founder & trustee of CRDN. Accelerating treatments for rare diseases through AI

* Patricia Durao – Lewi – Co-founder, Cure & Action for Tay-Sachs (CATS) Foundation. Partnering in gene therapy clinical trial as a treatment for Tay- Sachs disease, Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC),  and inherited Cerebellar Ataxias

* Dr Rick Thompson – CEO, Findacure. Developing drug repurposing social impact bonds for rare diseases

Tickets purchased via CRDN for this rare disease session do not allow access to the main Health Horizons conference. For access to the Corn Exchange for the full Health Horizons experience and to access our rare disease session as part of this use 25% discount code HH25. Click here for the full agenda and here to discover more about Health Horizons.

One in 17 people will develop a rare disease at some point in their lives – that’s 3.5 million in the UK alone and 350 million globally. Most of these diseases manifest in early childhood and many are life-limiting conditions with 95% of 7000-8000 identified rare disease having no approved treatment.

The challenges are real, but not insurmountable.  We believe that innovation is key to driving development and collaboration between companies and key rare disease players, particularly expert patients,  will make that happen.