Aldevron and the University of Minnesota collaborate in supporting Rare Disease Day

FARGO, N.D. - Feb. 15, 2018 - PRLog -- Aldevron, a provider of contract plasmid DNA manufacturing, protein production and antibody discovery services, is a sponsor for the Rare Disease Day program, "Gene Therapy for Rare Diseases: Promise and Challenges", presented by the University of Minnesota Center for Orphan Drug Research and Stem Cell Institute on February 23, 2018. Dr. Jakub Tolar, Dean, Medical School, University of Minnesota, will moderate the event, which will include presentations by University of Minnesota faculty and a representative from Abeona Therapeutics.

The program is in support of Rare Disease Day, a world-wide event that takes place in late February each year. The main objective of Rare Disease Day is to raise awareness amongst the general public and decision-makers about rare diseases and their impact on patients' lives.

"We are honored to support Rare Disease Day with the Center for Orphan Drug Research and Stem Cell Institute that will present the outstanding work being done in the field and the impact it is having on patients," said Michael Chambers, CEO of Aldevron. "Aldevron is committed to making lives better and there is significant unmet medical need with many rare diseases. One in twenty people will live with a rare disease at some point in their lives and there is no cure for a vast majority of them."

"We are grateful for Aldevron's continued support in developing treatments for rare diseases. We welcome their participation in the program, which will showcase the remarkable progress we are making in developing new therapies," said Dr. Jim Cloyd, Director of the Center for Orphan Drug Research. "Only with dedicated partners like Aldevron will we be able to address the challenges patients face living with these debilitating illnesses."

Rare Disease Day is supported by many national alliances and partners, including the National Organization for Rare Diseases in the United States. For more information on Rare Disease Day in the U.S., please visit www.rarediseaseday.us.

About Aldevron
Aldevron serves the biotechnology industry with custom production of nucleic acids, proteins, and antibodies. Thousands of clients use Aldevron-produced plasmids, RNA and gene editing enzymes for projects ranging from discovery research to clinical trials to commercial applications. These products are key components in commercially available drugs and medical devices. Aldevron specializes in GMP manufacturing and is known for inventing the GMP-Source^TM quality system. Company headquarters are in Fargo, N.D., with additional facilities in Madison, Wis., and Freiburg, Germany. For more information, visit us at www.Aldevron.com.

Center for Orphan Drug Research
Since its inception in 2005, the University of Minnesota Center for Orphan Drug Research (CODR) has been improving the care of individuals with rare diseases through research, increased education efforts, and by actively helping to shape public policy applicable to rare diseases and orphan drug development. The Center conducts research in three areas: mitigation of oxidative stress & inflammation in neurodegenerative disorders, spasticity, and epilepsy with particular emphasis of rescue therapies for seizure emergencies. For more information, visit the Center's website.