Institute of Genetic Medicine and the Faculty of Medical Sciences hosted a science packed day centred around the rare diseases and genetic research for the members of the general public and patient groups. The event was a great sucess (for feedback, presentations and images please scroll down this page or click on menu links) and the success of it was recognised at the Vice-Chancellors “Celebrating the success” event on the 4th of June 2015.

Event press release in the Northern Echo: http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/11812300.Genetic_medicine_under_the_spotlight/

The event was packed full of exciting talks, opportunities for debate and hands on research tables, giving the participants a chance to talk to the real scientists and ask them questions about genetic research:

The event was organised as part of the International Rare Disease Day, and could also be found on the European website here.

For the detailed slide presentations shown on the day please click here. We also had a newsletter printed for the day, and it can be accessed here.

If you would like to see some photos from the event please click here and here. The event was a great success and we are receiving a lot of positive feedback. We would like to thank everyone for coming and making this day so interesting and special. Special thanks goes to all the presenters, especially the patient and the charity groups who gave this meeting a more human aspect and made us all think about what life with a rare disease is like on day to day basis. Thank you very much for sharing it with us!

For any feedback, comments or if you would like to be involved in the future events of this kind, please email: IGMEngagement@ncl.ac.uk

“Just wanted to say how useful we found this Genetics Matters day.  […] we saw very clearly how much work is being done on genetic conditions (and there must be huge crossover in breakthroughs from one study to another) and that progress however tiny is being made in some areas especially in diagnosis if not yet treatment. Our understanding certainly improved. I would also just like to say that we felt that the level of the day was pitched just right, scientific without being way over our heads (that’s not to say we fully understood every word!).  Also, how inspirational, if heart-breaking the speakers were.” one of the attendees