Rare diseases are those pathologies or disorders that affect a small part of the population and, for this reason, are also known as orphan diseases. 8% of the world's population suffers from them, a figure that represents a total of 350 million people. In general, rare diseases have a genetic component and present very particular symptoms, a fact that makes it difficult to find their true cause. The complexity of these diseases means that specialists have to evaluate them, delaying their diagnosis and, often, worsening their consequences.
The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), through Nanomed Spain, and the Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute (IRSJD) want to highlight the potential of nanomedicine, the application of nanotechnology to medicine, in the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases. Nanomedicine can provide solutions for these patients thanks to its use of tools that allow the analysis and manipulation of biological processes at the nanoscale, where the origin of rare diseases is found. The contribution of nanomedicine in this field offers a greater understanding of the molecular biology of these pathologies and disorders, which allows progress in early diagnosis, among other issues.
On the occasion of Rare Disease Day, Nanomed Spain and the IRSJD will bring together a hundred doctors and researchers this Wednesday in a virtual conference, where the path that nanomedicine has to travel in the study of this type of diseases will be addressed. The NanoRare Disease Day will bring together nanomedicine experts from different fields, such as research, business, clinical practice, health authorities or patients, with the aim of presenting the latest advances and highlighting the future options on the horizon.
Specifically, the deputy director of the IRSJD, Rafa Artuch; researchers Regina Rodrigo from the Príncipe Felipe Research Center and Samuel Sánchez from IBEC; the director of Biology at Minoryx Therapeutics, Pilar Pizcueta, and representatives of patient associations AGLUT1nate or asGLUTdiece will speak. Nanomed Spain, with Josep Samitier as scientific coordinator, is the platform that unites efforts in Spain to apply nanomedicine to rare diseases and IBEC, a Barcelona research center, is responsible for coordinating it.