ALISO VIEJO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The international rare disease patient advocacy organization, Global Genes, is pleased to announce the 6th Annual RARE Drug Development Symposium (RDDS) in partnership with the Orphan Disease Center of the University of Pennsylvania. The June 9-11 virtual event will connect and educate hundreds of advocates, clinicians, and academic and industry researchers to explore the latest science, opportunities, and challenges to the advancement of therapies for more than 7,000 rare diseases.

New to this year's event is an optional preconference workshop targeted to attendees who are in the earlier stages of their research efforts or careers and looking to build knowledge in core competencies that will be expanded upon in the main RDDS program. The main program will address the current landscape of rare drug development and allow attendees to interact with subject matter experts and other rare disease stakeholders to help them better understand and develop their impact and role in advancing potential treatments.

This year, the RDDS keynote speaker will be David Fajgenbaum, M.D., MBA, MSc, co-founder and executive director of the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network (CDCN), assistant professor of medicine in Translational Medicine & Human Genetics at the University of Pennsylvania, associate director, Patient Impact for the Orphan Disease Center of the University of Pennsylvania, and author of the national bestselling book, Chasing My Cure: A Doctors Race to Turn Hope Into Action.

Dr. Fajgenbaum has been a leader in helping researchers to prioritize treatments for COVID-19 clinical trials and inform patient care through the CORONA (COvid19 Registry of Off-label & New Agents) Project. Were thrilled to have him share his insights during this critical time in health care and understand how we can apply these approaches to accelerate progress in rare disease research and treatments, said Craig Martin, CEO at Global Genes. The rare disease leaders who will be featured during the RDDS have tremendous depth of knowledge to share, and we look forward to sharing it with members of the rare community during this event.

RDDS will continue to host the CureAccelerator Live! For Rare Diseases 2021 event on June 10 in partnership with Cures Within Reach, a not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to using the speed, safety, and cost-effectiveness of already approved drugs, devices, diagnostics, nutraceuticals, and combination products to impact patients with unmet medical needs driving more treatments to more patients more quickly.

The emergence of therapeutic platforms creates unprecedented opportunities for treatments to improve the lives of those living with rare diseases, said Jim Wilson, M.D., Ph.D., director, Gene Therapy Program, and Rose H. Weiss, professor and director at the Orphan Disease Center of the University of Pennsylvania. We are delighted to collaborate with Global Genes to educate the rare disease community on research directed to these treatments.

Thank you to our gold sponsors, Horizon Therapeutics and Greenwich Biosciences, and silver sponsor, Pfizer, Inc., for their generous support of this important event.

For more information, visit http://www.globalgenes.org/rdds.

About Global Genes

Global Genes is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating the burdens and challenges of rare diseases for patients and families globally. In pursuit of our mission, we connect, empower, and inspire the rare disease community to stand up, stand out, and become more effective on their own behalf helping to spur innovation, meet essential needs, build capacity and knowledge, and drive progress within and across rare diseases. We serve the more than 400 million people around the globe and nearly one in 10 Americans affected by rare diseases. If you or someone you love has a rare disease or are searching for a diagnosis, contact Global Genes at 949-248-RARE, or visit our resource hub.

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Global Genes and Orphan Disease Center of the University of Pennsylvania to Convene Patient Group Leaders, Researchers, Clinicians and Industry for...

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