Our Mission
RareNet unites leaders in neuroscience, medicine, advocacy, and industry to accelerate the translation of MIT discoveries into novel treatments for rare brain disorders.
Our Approach
By definition, rare brain disorders affect only a small percentage of the population, making it challenging to both study them and develop treatments. To address this problem, Ana Méndez ’91 and Rajeev Jayavant ’86, EE ’88, SM ’88, established the Rare Brain Disorders Nexus — or RareNet — at MIT in the fall of 2025, with the goal of bringing effective therapies to people living with uncommon brain conditions.
Collaboration is RareNet’s cornerstone. By convening a strong network of leading neuroscientists, patient advocacy groups, clinicians, and industry partners, we seek to overcome barriers that have slowed progress in rare brain disorder therapies. RareNet is designed to de-risk groundbreaking discoveries in MIT labs, enhance their safety and reliability, and significantly increase their chance of success in clinical trials.
Led by faculty director Guoping Feng, the James W. (1963) and Patricia T. Poitras Professor of Neuroscience at MIT, RareNet draws together expertise from the MIT community and beyond to expedite the path from lab to clinic. We apply cutting-edge methods — such as building accurate disease models and using artificial intelligence to extract insights from biological and clinical datasets — to reveal a deeper understanding of complex and rare brain conditions. These efforts not only pave the way for transformative treatments but also generate knowledge that is relevant to a spectrum of uncommon disorders.
Our Founders
Méndez is a board member of the Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund and committed to making our world a better place for all. She earned her SB in mechanical engineering from MIT and is a proud alumna of the MIT Introduction to Technology, Engineering and Science program.
Jayavant spent more than 20 years at NVIDIA, where he rose to vice president of Graphics Processing Units Systems Engineering and became a key architect of the company’s systems engineering efforts. He earned his SB and SM degrees from MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.