On behalf of the CIHR Institute of Genetics, we are pleased to announce our planned participation in the 2015 “European Research Projects on Rare Diseases” Joint Transnational Call anticipated to be launched later this year by the ERA-NET.
We are also pleased to be working with Genome Canada, Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé and our Voluntary Health Organization partners, Ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis Canada and Muscular Dystrophy Canada, to maximize Canadian participation in this exciting initiative that complements our ongoing efforts to advance the rare diseases research agenda.
Our joint participation in this program will provide Canadian investigators the opportunity to work with their European colleagues to build an interdisciplinary, multilateral research project based on complementarities and sharing of expertise, with a clear translational research approach. Collectively, these coordinated, collaborative international endeavors and opportunities will greatly enable the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (www.irdirc.org) to successfully achieve its ambitious goal of delivering, by 2020, 200 new therapies for rare diseases and diagnostic tests for all rare diseases.
Regards,
Paul Lasko, PhD
Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Genetics