Who We Are
About Us
Global Genes is one of the leading rare and genetic disease patient advocacy organizations in the world. The non-profit organization promotes the needs of the rare and genetic disease community under a unifying symbol of hope – the Blue Denim Genes Ribbon™. What began as a grassroots movement in 2009 with a few rare disease parent advocates and foundations has grown to over 500 global organizations.
RARE is Everywhere
1 in 10 people worldwide suffer from rare and genetic conditions
Rare and genetic diseases affect 1 in 10 Americans, 30 million people in the United States, and 300 million people globally. Over 7,000 distinct rare diseases exist and approximately 80 percent are caused by faulty genes. The National Institutes of Health estimates that 50% of people affected by rare diseases are children, making rare diseases one of the most deadly and debilitating for children worldwide.
Unity Creates Hope™
Hope_Genes_Logo_Rare_Disease_Day
Blue Denim Genes Ribbon™ and Hope Tagline
While individual rare diseases have small patient populations, collectively the rare disease community is larger than the AIDS and Cancer communities combined. Despite its size, the community lacks of a unified voice, as only 15% of rare diseases have organizations or foundations providing support or driving research.
It is estimated that 95% of all rare diseases do not have a single FDA approved drug treatment, and there are currently less than 400 treatments approved by the FDA for the nearly 7000 rare diseases which have been identified. According to estimates from the NIH, it will take 10,000 years at the current rate of FDA drug approvals to find therapies for all people suffering from rare and genetic diseases.