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The BLU GENES Foundation is raising funds to advance gene therapy and find a cure for genetic disorders — offering hope where currently there is none.

The BLU GENES Foundation is a charitable foundation that is raising funds to advance gene therapy and find a cure for genetic disorders, beginning with Tay-Sachs disease. Tay-Sachs disease is a rare, fatal, genetic disorder that most commonly strikes in infancy. Babies with Tay-Sachs disease and some other genetic disorders appear healthy at birth, but become increasingly debilitated as the disease progresses.

Some things you may not know about genetic disorders¹

• Many diseases have a genetic component that is complex, but even a defect in a single gene can cause disease, as is the case for Tay-Sachs disease; susceptibility to certain cancers can also be determined by a single gene.
• Genetic disorders are quite rare, yet they affect millions of people worldwide, many of whom are children.
• According to the World Health Organization, the prevalence of all single-gene disorders at birth is 10 in 1,000.
• In the general population, approximately 1 person in 250 is a carrier for Tay-Sachs disease; in certain populations that number rises to 1 in 27.
• Tay-Sachs disease is found across all racial, ethnic and religious populations worldwide.
• In Canada, single-gene disorders make up ~40% of the work of hospital-based pediatric practice.