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Bionews, the publisher of this website, hosted a virtual panel discussion on Rare Disease Day 2022, taking a deeper dive into what it’s like to live with a rare disease, including conversations about advocacy, mental health, survivor’s guilt, treatment of minority patients, and more. The Monday event, “A…

Tonix Pharmaceuticals has entered a research agreement with Inserm Transfert, the private subsidiary of the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm), to study the mechanisms behind the reported benefits of the oxytocin hormone in a mouse model of Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). Inserm Transfert signed the deal…

A rare disease puts an economic burden on the patients, families, and caregivers that it affects, and will no doubt be an integral part of discussions on Rare Disease Day 2022, which brings international awareness about the more than 300 million people living with rare disorders. Part of that…

Dietary supplementation with conjugated linoleic acid led to weight loss in a mouse model of Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), according to a recently published study. Results were detailed in the journal Nutrients, in the article “Dietary Conjugated Linoleic Acid Reduces Body Weight and Fat in Snord116m+/p−…

The nonprofit RARE-X is creating an easily-accessible, centralized data hub for all rare disease patient data that can help researchers answer questions about existing disorders, discover new ones, and work toward finding treatments. It was spun out of the work that Nicole Boice, founder and chief engagement officer of…

Folate produced by a specific kind of gut bacteria likely contributed to weight loss in a teenager with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) who was given a high-fiber diet for several months. A trio of researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China described the case in a study, “…

Several characteristics during pregnancy and immediately after birth — such as maternal age, pregnancy complications, low birth size, reduced muscle tone, and infant feeding difficulties — may distinguish a newborn with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) from healthy babies early in life, a study showed. “By providing an overview of…

Since 2008, Rare Disease Day — the last day of February — has brought together patients, caregivers, family members, friends, and advocates from around the world to raise awareness and improve equity for the more than 7,000 known rare diseases that affect more than 300 million people. In 2022, the…