For the third consecutive year, the signature green, pink, teal and purple colours of the Rare Disease Day movement were projected across the college chapel façade on Oxford’s High Street in a powerful display organised by the Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre (OHC), demonstrating their solidarity with the 500 million people worldwide living with rare diseases.
Observed annually on 28 February (or 29 February in leap years—the rarest day of the year), Rare Disease Day is a globally coordinated movement dedicated to achieving equity in social opportunities, healthcare, diagnosis and access to therapies. Since its launch in 2008, it has united a diverse international community around the shared goal of improving the lives of those affected by rare conditions.
The Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre, based within the Department of Paediatrics, is a pioneering transatlantic partnership between the University of Oxford and the Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals in Cleveland, US. By connecting world-class academic science with drug development and industry expertise, the OHC works to translate breakthrough discoveries into life-changing therapies and cures for rare diseases worldwide.
A disease is defined as rare when it affects fewer than 1 in 2,000 people. In the UK alone, more than 3.5 million people live with a rare condition. These disorders are often complex, with symptoms that vary widely between diseases and individuals, and many currently have no effective cures—placing a profound burden on patients and families.
Across the Atlantic, Terminal Tower in Cleveland was also illuminated in Rare Disease Day colours.