Sanford’s Pearce Names Chair of IRDiRC

David Pearce, president of innovation, research and world clinics at Sanford Health who has led the creation of the CoRDs registry, was named chair of the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium.

Pearce brings decades of experience in children’s health research to the consortium assembly, including focused research of rare diseases in children.

Photo: David Pearce, new chair of IRDiRC

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to chair this international consortium during such a pivotal time in the advancement of medicine,” said Pearce. “Great promise lies ahead for new diagnostics and treatments for rare diseases. I am deeply dedicated to this work and look forward to collaborating with my international colleagues in the field of rare disease research as well as partnering with industry groups and patients to make better connections and increase access to life-saving clinical trials.”

The International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) is the largest rare disease research consortium in the world. The global initiative was formed to fund rare disease research and promote collaboration. Comprised of 60 members from organizations across the world, the initiative aims to accomplish the vision that everyone living with a rare disease should receive a precise analysis and care plan within one year of diagnosis of a rare disease.

Pearce graduated from the University of Wolverhampton in Wolverhampton England and received his doctorate from the University of Bath in Bath England. He continued his education doing his Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York.

At Sanford Health, Pearce and a team of researchers created an international rare disease registry, CoRDS (Coordination of Rare Diseases at Sanford), which monitors the advancement of research into more than 7,000 unique disorders to help clinicians make diagnoses more quickly, connect people living with rare disease to clinical trials, and find better treatments.

He has written more than 100 publications on Batten disease, used yeast and animal models to elucidate the basis of the disease, and developed a number of reagents that lend themselves to further study the pathophysiology of Batten disease.

Author: Rare Daily Staff