undiagnosed and rare disorders

VUMC’s Undiagnosed Diseases Network site gains NIH renewal

UDN team strives to solve challenging medical mysteries

Jun. 28, 2018—The anonymous man being discussed in a conference room at Vanderbilt University Medical Center used to be healthy and athletic, but has suffered from slow progressive muscle weakness for some time and now uses a wheelchair to get around.

UDN program dedicated to solving medical mysteries

It’s human nature to need answers. Patients with debilitating symptoms need a diagnosis — somewhere to place the blame, a starting point to search for answers.

Vanderbilt is one of seven centers now accepting patients for Undiagnosed Diseases Network

Eighteen-year-old Rachel Barnett of Robertson County is one of the first patients to be enrolled in the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center — one of seven medical centers around the country participating in a clinical research initiative of the National Institutes of Health to identify rare disorders in patients.

Vanderbilt selected to participate in Undiagnosed Diseases Network

Armed with a $7.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Vanderbilt University Medical Center is one of six medical centers around the country selected to participate in a network to develop effective approaches for diagnosing hard-to-solve medical cases (undiagnosed diseases).

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