Home


About the Network


Register as a Model Organism/System Investigator

Submit a Disease Gene to Establish a Connection

News and Reports

The Rare Diseases: Models & Mechanisms Network has been established to catalyze connections between people discovering new genes in patients with rare diseases, and basic scientists who can analyze equivalent genes and pathways in model organisms/systems. Catalyst Grants fund projects that will allow rapid confirmation of potentially disease-causing genes, and fuel pilot studies to improve understanding of how specific gene mutations cause disease. It is intended that collaborations across the Canadian biomedical community will expedite the understanding of disorders, enabling the design of new therapies to the ultimate benefit of those affected by rare diseases.

Network Routemap

Clinicians submit a newly discovered disease gene to the Clinical Advisory Committee (CAC). If approved, CAC sends the human gene to the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) and Bioinformatics Core, which will attempt to match a new disease gene to as many model organism/system researchers the genes that model organism/system researchers have self-declared in the Network Registry. The SAC will then invite model organism/system researchers to submit a 2-page application which will be reviewed within a week. For successful applications, the SAC will invite the clinician to establish a connection with the corresponding model organism/system researcher. Following a successful connection, the basic scientist lab will be connected to the clinician and receive $30,000 to seed immediate collaborative experiments. For more information, see REGISTER AS A MODEL ORGANISM/SYSTEM INVESTIGATOR and SUBMIT A DISEASE GENE TO ESTABLISH A CONNECTION.

Subscribe to our quarterly newsletter.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

  • Apply Now! RDMM Open Call for Proposals – August 2024 Read more..
  • Apply Now! 2024 RDMM / Fondation du Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie (FGDPL) Open Call for Applications Read more..
  • Apply Now! RDMM Open Call for Proposals – April 2023 Read more..
  • Call for applications to the Scientific Advisory Committee with expertise in human cell models Read more..
  • Call for research grants launched - Centronuclear Myopathies. Deadline: April 28, 2023, 17:00 CET Read more..
  • Genetic Models of Rare Diseases: A Call for Papers. Deadline: November 14, 2022 Read more..
  • Apply Now! 2022 RDMM/FGDPL Open Call for Proposals Read more..
  • Call for Posters! TBRS Collaborative Research Network Conference 2022 Read more..
  • Cutting-Edge Implementation of Precision Medicine in Europe. September 22-23, 2022. Stockholm, Sweden Read more..
  • Apply Now! RDMM Open Call for Proposals – May 2022 Read more..
  • Apply Now! RDMM Open Call for Proposals – April 2022 Read more..
  • Apply Now! RDMM Open Call for Proposals. Read more..
  • 10th Anniversary IMPC Virtual Conference - Mouse Genetics and Genomic Medicine. September 23-24, 2021. Read More...
  • Apply Now! RDMM/National Ataxia Foundation Open Call for Proposals. Read More...
  • Apply Now! 2021 RDMM Open Call for Proposals. Read More...
  • The RDMM 2020 Autumn Newsletter is out! Read More…
  • RDMM has an article featured in the American Journal of Human Genetics highlighting the progress of the network. Read More…
  • 2020 RDMM / Fondation du Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie (FGDPL) Open Call for Applications. Read More…
  • Webinar Presentation - ‘Neuroacanthocytosis syndromes-a rare chorea’, presented by Adrian Danek (Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany). Tuesday, December 3, 2019. Click here to register
  • The RDMM 2019 Autumn Newsletter is out! Read more..
  • The Can-GARD: Advanced Therapies for Rare Diseases 2020 Spring Accelerator Grant Competition is now open. Deadline to submit Letter of Intent (LOI) is November 30, 2019 at 11:59 PM EST. Read more..
  • The RDMM 2019 Spring Newsletter is out! Read more..
  • 2019 RDMM/FGDPL Open Call for Applications Deadline has been extended to May 3rd! Read more..
  • 2018 RDMM/Dravet Open Call for Applications. Read more..
  • Genomics of Rare Disease. March 27-29, 2019. Wellcome Genome Campus, UK. Read more..
  • Congratulations to Drs. Maja Tarailo-Graovac, Marc Ekker and David Dyment on their catalyst grant! Read more..
  • The RDMM Summer Newsletter is out! Read more..
  • The RDMM Spring Newsletter is out! Read more..
  • 2018 Keystone Symposia conference - From Rare to Care: Discovery, Modeling and Translation of Rare Diseases. November 11-14, 2018. Vienna, Austria Read more..
  • REMINDER: The deadline to submit applications for the FGDPL open call are approaching! Read more..
  • The RDMM Winter Newsletter is out! Read more..
  • 2018 RDMM/Fondation du Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie (FGDPL) Open Call for Applications Read more..
  • An interview with RDMM’s Phil Hieter in Research Features Magazine. Read more..
  • Congratulations to RDMM’s recent catalyst grant recipients! Read more..
  • Congratulations to Rosanna Weksberg, Cheryl Cytrynbaum, Ashish Deshwar, and James Dowling on their catalyst grant! Read more..
  • Genomics of Rare Disease, March 26-28, 2018, Hinxton, UK. Read more..
  • The RDMM Fall Newsletter is out! Read more..
  • RDMM congratulates recent catalyst grant recipients! Read more..
  • The RDMM Summer Newsletter is now out! Read more..
  • RDMM is announcing a call for applications for investigators who would like to apply for additional funds for previously approved projects. Read more..
  • The RDMM Spring Newsletter is now out! Read more..
  • The deadline to submit applications for the Dravet and FGDPL open calls are approaching Read more..
  • RDMM Catalyst Grant Awardees, Patrick Frosk and Heleen Arts, have an article published in the Journal of Medical Genetics: “A truncating mutation in CEP55 is the likely cause of MARCH, a novel syndrome affecting neuronal mitosis”. Read more..
  • 2017 Canadian Society for Molecular Biosciences (CSMB) Conference, May 16-20, 2017, Ottawa, ON. Read more..
  • The RDMM Winter Newsletter is now out! Read more..
  • 2017 Canadian Society for Molecular Biosciences (CSMB) Conference, May 16-20, 2017, Ottawa, ON. Read more..
  • Rare Diseases Day 2017 Conference, March 30-31, 2017, Vancouver, BC. Read more..
  • 2017 RDMM/Fondation du Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie (FGDPL) Open Call for Applications. Read more..
  • Congratulations to Dr. William Foulkes and Dr. Jose Teodoro on their catalyst grant! Read more..
  • Congratulations to Dr. Johane Robitaille and Dr. Jason Berman on their catalyst grant! Read more..
  • RDMM/Dravet Open Call has been extended! Read more..
  • The RDMM Autumn Newsletter is now out! Read more..
  • Congratulations to Robert Hamilton, Yoav Bolkier, James Dowling & Ian Scott on their catalyst grant! Read more..
  • The RDMM Summer Newsletter is now out!  Read more..
  • Congratulations to Robert Hamilton, Yoav Bolkier, James Dowling & Ian Scott on their catalyst grant! Read more..
  • RDMM catalyst grant awardees Clara van Karnebeek and Xiao-Yan Wen have published an article in Nature Genetics: “NANS-mediated synthesis of sialic acid is required for brain and skeletal development”. Read more..
  • The RDMM Spring Newsletter is now available! Read more..
  • The Allied Genetics Conference (TAGC) 2016, July 13-17, Orlando, FL. Read more..
  • ASHG 2016, Vancouver, BC, October 18-22, 2016. Read more..
  • The deadline for the RDMM/Dravet Open Call is approaching! Read more..
  • Congratulations to Dr. Dave Dyment and Dr. Steffany Bennett on their catalyst grant! Read more..
  • UPDATE: RDMM/Dravet Open Call for Applications. Read more..
  • The Rare Diseases: Models & Mechanisms is featured in the November issue of Nature Medicine. Read more..
  • Congratulations to the Network’s Recent Catalyst Grant Recipients! Read more..
  • How Genome Sequencing Creates Communities Around Rare Disorders Read more..
  • DIA 2016 52nd Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, June 26-30, 2016. Read more..
  • Congratulations to Dr. Jan Friedman and Dr. Daniel Goldowitz on their catalyst grant! Read more..
  • Congratulations to Dr. Clara van Karnebeek and Dr. Philippe Campeau on their catalyst grant! Read more..
  • Congratulations to Dr. Clara van Karnebeek, Dr. Xiao-Yan Wen and Dr. Sarah Hughes on their catalyst grant! Read more..
  • The CBC features a story which explores how a pharmaceutical company set the price for the world’s most expensive rare disease drug. Read more..
  • Congratulations to Dr. Peter Kannu and Dr. Benjamin Alman on their catalyst grant! Read more..

More news >

  QUICK STATISTICS

  • Gene added directly (TIER1 and TIER2): 8755
  • Unique genes (including inferred TIER3): 17124
  • Human genes covered: 9941
  • Researchers registered: 782
  • Researchers registered with genes: 519
  • Number of Connections Supported: 125

  FUNDERS

     

Models & Mechanisms Network

RARE DISEASES