David Cameron
Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre Advisory Council Chair
United in Our Mission to Cure Rare Disease
David Cameron
Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre Advisory Council Chair
An opportunity to make a transformational difference in the lives of millions of people around the globe. That is the view of the Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre (OHC) through the eyes of David Cameron, former prime minister of the UK and Chair of the OHC Advisory Council.
As Chair of the Advisory Council, Lord Cameron leads the international efforts of the OHC in its mission to deliver new treatments for the 400 million people affected by rare diseases worldwide.
A passionate advocate of rare disease research, Lord Cameron’s experience of caring for his son, Ivan, who suffered from a rare neurological disorder, has made the issue deeply personal to him.
“The aim is forty medicines invented in the next decade and brought to market so that fewer people—and fewer parents and children—have to suffer,” he said.
Lord Cameron noted that setting up Genomics England and establishing a world-leading database with hundreds of thousands of genomes is one of his proudest achievements as Prime Minister.
“Yet, to be truly transformational, genomics requires the best of academia, life sciences, pharmaceutical companies, philanthropy and venture capital from around the world to come together. That is what the Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre sets out to do, convening those key players and uniting around a bold mission,” Lord Cameron stated.
Lord Cameron added, “I have long said that beating these diseases is within our grasp. The OHC will deliver new, real and tangible therapies for patients and, by doing so, offer huge benefits for patients, their families and wider society. I am delighted to play my part in making it a reality.”