A show of hands from the Institute of Genetic Medicine today, to raise awareness of the international Rare Disease Day and the importance of rare disease research.

The image was shared via Twitter and email with the larger community today.

1 in 17 people in the EU is affected by a rare condition. That’s 3.5 million people in the UK alone! Although individually rare, together the rare conditions affect more people than cancer and AIDS combined.

Let’s all unite to make the rare disease voice heard!

On the 27^th of February 2016 the IGM held their popular “Genetics Matters” event at the International Centre for Life, as part of the international Rare Disease Day. The day was a huge success and included presentations form the leading Newcastle University scientists and patient organisations as well as meet the scientist tables, giving the participants a chance to chat about rare diseases and hear about the exciting state of the art research at Newcastle University.

We would like to thank all the participants, presenters and patient group representatives for making this event so informative and enjoyable. Together we will make the voice of rare diseases heard!

For more information and photos from the event please visit: https://blogs.ncl.ac.uk/igmengagement/27th-february-2016-genetics-matters/