We are delighted to announce that Mission: Cure has been selected as one of 20 patient-led organizations to join the Rare As One Network. The Network will provide much-needed support by offering new tools, funding, and capacity-building support and training that will further Mission: Cure’s work providing resources to patients and family members, building a better care model, and finding a cure for pancreatitis.

Chronic pancreatitis is one of more than 7,000 rare diseases and it affects over 100,000 people in the US alone–and up to a million globally. With support from the Rare As One Network, Mission: Cure is one step closer to finding a cure for this disease and finally ending the suffering of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. 

As part of the Rare As One Network, Mission: Cure plans to create a patient-led research network that will prioritize translational research and use data on patient experience and outcomes, including from patients often underrepresented in rare disease. The network will prioritize efforts most likely to improve patient outcomes efficiently, such as drug repurposing. 

“For biomedical research in rare diseases to advance quickly and effectively, patients must be full partners with scientists and clinicians in research,” said CZI Head of Science Cori Bargmann. “We’re proud to expand our cohort of Rare As One grantees and further support the rare disease ecosystem as we work towards diagnosis, treatments, and cures together.”