Rare Brain Disorders Nexus

Recent news
Recent news

New MIT initiative seeks to transform rare brain disorders research

The Rare Brain Disorders Nexus aims to accelerate the development of novel therapies for a spectrum of uncommon brain diseases.

About RareNet

The Rare Brain Disorders Nexus (RareNet) accelerates the development of novel therapies for a spectrum of uncommon brain conditions. Launched at the McGovern Institute in 2025 with a generous gift from Ana Méndez ’91 and Jayavant ’86, EE ’88, SM ’88, RareNet convenes leaders in neuroscience, clinical medicine, patient advocacy, and industry to streamline the lab-to-clinic pipeline for rare brain disorder treatments.

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Research

More than 300 million people worldwide are living with rare disorders — many of which affect the brain and nervous system — yet the vast majority of these conditions lack an approved therapy. The first wave of RareNet projects will focus on four uncommon conditions: Rett syndrome, prion disease, disorders linked to SYNGAP1 mutations, and Sturge-Weber syndrome. RareNet seeks to develop transformative treatments for these and other rare disorders through two major initiatives.

Global Consortium

The Global Consortium forms a strong international network of researchers, clinicians, and patient groups. It aims to connect siloed research efforts, secure more patient samples, promote data sharing, and drive a strong sense of trust and goal alignment across the RareNet community.

Therapeutic Pipeline Accelerator

The goal of the Therapeutic Pipeline Accelerator is to de-risk early lab discoveries and expedite their translation to clinic. By leveraging the Consortium’s collaborations and fostering more targeted ones within RareNet — especially between leaders in academia and industry — the accelerator is preparing nascent treatments for commercialization as efficiently as possible.