1. www.camraredisease.org info@camraredisease.org
Cambridge Rare Disease Network
Why focus on rare diseases?
The statistics speak for themselves. In the UK alone, 3.5M people suffer from rare diseases.
Even though a rare disease will affect 1 in 17 people during their lives, only 200 out of 8000
rare diseases have a cure today. Early and accurate diagnosis also remains challenging within
the field.
Cambridge Cluster and University
The Cambridge Cluster and University is a highly vibrant environment with huge potential.
Cambridge University is over 800 years old and often ranked as Europe’s foremost research
institute. It has a remarkable track record in the area of life sciences. Notably, the structure of
DNA was discovered in Cambridge by Watson and Crick (1953). In addition, 90 Nobel
Prizes were awarded to Cambridge researchers, the majority for solving key biological
questions.
Next to the University, Cambridge has Europe’s number one Bio-Tech Cluster. Over 1,500
fast-growing startups flourish in close proximity, often created by University alumni.
Together, these companies turn over around $20Bn per year. Several of them have truly
changed the world of drug discovery, eg Cambridge Antibody Technology.
This highly stimulating environment attracts talent from all across the globe, including large
multi-nationals, such as the pharmaceutical AstraZeneca. AZ recently announced that they
will move their Global Headquarters to Cambridge UK in order to be located at the heart if
Europe’s bioscience hotspot.

2. www.camraredisease.org info@camraredisease.org
Our mission
CRDN is a non-profit organisation based in Cambridge, UK. Our mission is to unlock the
potential in Cambridge in order to increase activities around rare diseases. We bring together
active stakeholders in research and development to build an effective network, foster
dialogue and increase awareness. In order to maximise impact, we also aim to engage with
Cambridge alumni globally.
As part of our work, we organise events to bring together researchers, entrepreneurs,
healthcare professionals and policy-makers. We do this through a series of events throughout
the year that address different aspects of rare diseases. Once a year, we organise a major
conference,the Cambridge Rare Disease Summit.
Furthermore, our network and activities provide a point of entry for organisations worldwide
who wish to help us make a difference for rare disease patients in need.
2015 events
CRDN launched on the 2nd
of April 2015 at the Judge Business School. The launch event
focused on the topic of Parent Entrepreneurship and was a huge success. The initiative was
covered by BBC Look East,Radio 4, Cambridge Evening News and Business Weekly.
On June 25th
, CRDN is planning its second event, “Bringing genomics to the clinic”. Our
annual conference will take place in Cambridge on September 14 with the aim to bring
together 150 key stakeholders in order to debate how to best address the huge unmet social
and therapeutic needs of rare diseases.
Our partners and supporters: