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NIH Agency Pioneers Collaborative Research into Rare Diseases

A little-known government entity within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is helping to lead U.S. efforts to speed up the development of therapies for some 7,000 rare diseases. The Office of Rare Diseases Research (ORDR), headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, was established in 1993 within the NIH Office of the…

2 New Biomarkers May Help Detect Axial SpA Risk in IBD Patients, Study Finds

Assessing the levels of a protein involved in bone formation and its specific antibodies in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may help identify those at risk of having axial joint involvement, Italian researchers found. IBD patients commonly experience extra-intestinal symptoms, including spondyloarthritis (SpA) — inflammation of the joints…