Rare Brain Disorders Nexus (RareNet)

The Rare Brain Disorders Nexus (RareNet) accelerates the development of novel therapies for a spectrum of uncommon brain conditions. Launched at the McGovern Institute in 2025 with a generous gift from Ana Méndez (1991) and Jayavant (1986), EE (1988), SM (1988), RareNet convenes leaders in neuroscience, clinical medicine, patient advocacy, and industry to streamline the lab-to-clinic pipeline for rare brain disorder treatments.

RareNet unites leaders in neuroscience, medicine, advocacy, and industry to accelerate the translation of MIT discoveries into novel treatments for rare brain disorders.
Our Approach

Collaboration is RareNet’s cornerstone. By convening a strong network of leading neuroscientists, patient advocacy groups, clinicians, and industry partners, we seek to overcome barriers that have slowed progress in rare brain disorder therapies. RareNet is designed to de-risk groundbreaking discoveries in MIT labs, enhance their safety and reliability, and significantly increase their chance of success in clinical trials.

Led by faculty director Guoping Feng, the James W. (1963) and Patricia T. Poitras Professor of Neuroscience at MIT, RareNet draws together expertise from the MIT community and beyond to expedite the path from lab to clinic. We apply cutting-edge methods — such as building accurate disease models and using artificial intelligence to extract insights from biological and clinical datasets — to reveal a deeper understanding of complex and rare brain conditions. These efforts not only pave the way for transformative treatments but also generate knowledge that is relevant to a spectrum of uncommon disorders.

RareNet plans to deploy two major initiatives: a global consortium and a therapeutic pipeline accelerator. The consortium will form an international network of researchers, clinicians, and patient groups from the outset. It seeks to connect siloed research efforts, secure more patient samples, promote data sharing, and drive a strong sense of trust and goal alignment across the RareNet community. Partnerships within the consortium will support the aim of the therapeutic pipeline accelerator: to de-risk early lab discoveries and expedite their translation to clinic. By fostering more targeted collaborations — especially between academia and industry — the accelerator will prepare potential treatments for clinical use as efficiently as possible.