Each year the designation of the final day of February as Rare Disease Day generates increased awareness of the 7,000-plus rare disorders and fuels a greater urgency to develop more treatments for rare disease patients.

Two of the most powerful Chicago-based medical research philanthropies are joining together to raise funds and awareness around the creation of medical research that delivers near term results.

On June 13th of 2013, diverse members of the Midwest BioScience Industry will be joining together in downtown Chicago around their common mission to improve the lives of patients suffering from catastrophic disease.

Dr. Bruce Bloom, President & Chief Science Officer of Cures Within Reach, a public charity committed to transforming patient lives through innovative & practical medical research, was recently named Fellow of the Institute of Medicine of Chicago.

The innovative Chicago-based philanthropic organization, Partnership for Cures, has changed its name to Cures Within Reach, effective October 15, 2012. Cures Within Reach continues the mission of PFC, striving to tangibly transform patient lives.

On June 25th, 24 players will swing their way through 1400 holes of golf at Green Acres Country Club to raise $60,000 for research into new treatments for pediatric brain tumors through Chicago’s philanthropic organization, Partnership for Cures.

Partnership for Cures, through the hard work and financial support of its Noah’s Hope Batten Disease research fund, recently committed $47,000 in support of clinical research conducted by Dr. Ronald Crystal at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Noah’s Hope, housed under Partnership for Cures, recently received a 10k grant from the Tellabs Foundation. The funds support research defining biomarkers within the LINCL Batten Disease progression, a rare and deadly genetic pediatric disease.

The 2011 Patient Impact Initiative funded 4 Rediscovery Research projects to impact patients in the next 3 years through clinical trials that repurpose existing therapies to create new treatments for different diseases.