Genetic Alliance Australia

29/05/2026

As Cri du Chat Awareness Month comes to a close, we wanted to send some love to the incredible team at the Cri du Chat Support Group of Australia Inc. 💙

This passionate community has worked tirelessly to build connection, understanding, advocacy and belonging for individuals and families living with Cri du Chat syndrome across Australia.

We’ve loved seeing their joyful “Let’s Get Stripy!” campaign helping spark conversations about inclusion, individuality and the strength of community.

Cri du Chat syndrome (5p- syndrome) is a rare genetic condition caused by a deletion on chromosome 5. Every person’s journey is unique, and awareness matters because understanding leads to earlier support, stronger inclusion and more connected communities.

Thank you to the Cri du Chat community for everything you do for families, and for the compassion and hope you bring to the rare disease community more broadly.

Please help us celebrate and amplify their work as Awareness Month wraps up 💙

27/05/2026

Sharing this exciting work from Cure CASK Australia and collaborators exploring the potential of patient-derived organoids, or “mini brains in a dish”, to help transform rare disease research and therapy development.

For many rare conditions, one of the biggest challenges is the lack of accurate disease models to better understand what is happening biologically and to test potential treatments. Technologies like organoids are creating important new opportunities for more personalised and targeted research approaches.

Importantly, this also demonstrates the pivotal role rare disease organisations and families play in shaping and driving research forward!!!

Congratulations to Cure CASK Australia, The University of Queensland, the CASK Coalition, and the AMAZING families helping lead this important work forward. Giovi Moschoudis you inspire us! ❤

Organoids are miniature tissue or organ models formed by stem cells (including pluripotent stem cells, tissue-specific adult stem cells, etc.) or progenitor cells in an in vitro three-dimensional culture system, which possess structural features and partial functions analogous to their corresponding...

21/05/2026

We know many families across the rare condition and disability community are feeling anxious and uncertain about the proposed NDIS changes and what they may mean for their child and family.

Sharing this thoughtful and timely session for families from our friends Belongside Families. ❤

Many families are feeling the emotional toll of the proposed NDIS changes.

So much is being reported in the media. A lot of worrying information is being shared online. There are still many unanswered questions, and it may be some time before families know what these changes will mean for their child and family.

This kind of uncertainty is exhausting.

That’s why Belongside Families has invited psychologist Mitchell Woods from Mura Psychology to join us for a free webinar on Managing Stress & Uncertainty During NDIS Changes.

This session won’t provide advice on NDIS policy or funding. Instead, it will focus on practical strategies to help you manage ongoing stress, look after yourself, and navigate difficult periods when so much feels outside your control.

📅 Mon 25 May
🕗 8pm NSW time
💻 Online webinar
👤 For parents and carers of children with disability, developmental delay, Autism, rare and genetic conditions.
Professionals supporting children and families are also welcome.
🎥 Register to attend live or to receive the recording
🔗 Visit https://events.humanitix.com/infosession2505

20/05/2026

SAVE THE DATE - Genetic Alliance Australia Annual Forum 2026
📍 NSW Parliament House
📅 16 September 2026
🕠 5:45pm

Hosted by Hon. David Harris MP, and supported by NSW Health, the GAA Annual Forum brings together a diverse community of people working to shape the future of rare, genetic and undiagnosed healthcare and support in Australia.

This year’s forum will again include our Research & Advocacy Showcase, highlighting innovative work, lived experience leadership, emerging research, and community-driven advocacy from across the sector.

If there’s a burning topic you would love to see explored at this year’s forum, or if you’re a researcher, clinician, advocate, support group leader, or community organisation interested in being part of the showcase, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch with us at [email protected]

We look forward to bringing the community together again for another important evening of connection, insight, and shared action.

12/05/2026

🟦 RareNET May Forum | PreGen: Hearing Patient Voices 🟦

When prenatal ultrasounds identify unexpected findings, genomic testing can sometimes provide answers that were not previously possible.

🧬 Join us for our May RareNET Forum with the PreGen team, a national MRFF-funded program providing funded prenatal genomic sequencing across Australia.🧬

Featuring Professor Tony Roscioli and Dr Sarah Long this session will explore both the clinical advancements in prenatal genomics and the deeply human experiences behind the testing journey. Sarah will share insights from interviews with families undergoing whole exome sequencing, including the value families place on information, the impact of waiting for results, the role of genetic counselling, and the gaps families can encounter once they move beyond specialist services.

📆Thursday 21st May 12pm – 1pm (Online)

👉 Register now: https://events.humanitix.com/rarenet-may-2026-forum

03/05/2026

Its not too late to register for todays session!

When your child is medically complex, has ongoing health needs, or a rare or genetic condition, healthcare conversations are rarely simple.
The information is complex. There’s a lot to process. And often you're hearing your child described as a list of risk factors or abnormalities.

Belongside Families is hosting a free two-part webinar series with Rachel CalendarRachel, acclaimed speaker, author and healthcare communication expert.

Drawing on her personal experience as a parent and evidence-informed frameworks, Rachel will share practical tools to help families navigate healthcare conversations and feel more prepared to speak up for their child.

Part 1: Understanding Communication in Healthcare
📅 Monday 4 May | 12pm NSW Time
🔗Register: https://bit.ly/BF_T226_MW

Part 2: Building Confidence in Advocacy
📅 Monday 18 May | 12pm NSW Time
🔗Register: https://bit.ly/BF_T226_MW2

🔗 Register to attend live or receive the recording.
🖥️ These webinars are free and online.
🗣️Created for families. Professionals welcome to attend.

19/02/2026

🦓 Rare Disease Day 2026: Care Connect Cure is a space for families too.

If you’re wondering whether this event is right for you and your family, the answer is yes.

Attending events can feel overwhelming, especially when you are caring for a child or young person living with a rare condition. The Rare Diseases NSW team have designed Care Connect Cure to feel welcoming, inclusive and supportive for families, not just professionals.

💛 Activities for children and young people

Captain Powers and Captain Smurfette from the Starlight Foundation will be joining us to bring fun, interactive activities for children and young people throughout the morning.

✨ Highlights families may especially value

🗣️ Rachel Callander Workshop (9:30am – 11:00am)

A practical and reflective masterclass exploring compassionate communication, storytelling and ways to reduce trauma and build connection in healthcare and everyday conversations.

🌱 RarePower Interactive Session

Learn about practical initiatives that support families, including Rare Passport, SIBS supports, health literacy tools and new projects helping people get involved and shape change.

💬 Lived experience speakers

Hear directly from people living with rare disease and community leaders sharing real stories about integrated care, connection and advocacy.

🌏 GeneEQUAL session

Discover co-designed resources supporting accessible, respectful and inclusive genetic healthcare for people with intellectual disability and their families.

✔️ Free to attend

✔️ Online access available

✔️ Travel bursaries to help reduce barriers

✔️ Accessibility supports in place

Travel bursary information: https://rarediseasesnsw.au/home/news/regional-nsw-travel-bursaries/

Whether you join in person or online, you are very welcome.

📍 UNSW Health Translation Hub, Randwick

📅 27–28 February 2026

🔗 Register: https://events.humanitix.com/rare-disease-day-2026-care-connect-cure

Please share with families or communities who might benefit from being part of this space.

19/02/2026

Are you in Victoria? Join Genetic Support Network of Victoria this Rare Disease Day as they bring together diverse voices from across Australia’s genetic, undiagnosed and rare disease community to imagine what healthcare could and should look like by 2036.

🧬 There's still time to register for this free, in-person event on Friday, 27 February. RSVP by this Friday (20 February)! https://events.humanitix.com/the-gsnv-rare-disease-day-2026

The event will bring together people with lived experience, families, clinicians, researchers and system leaders to imagine what an Australian rare disease health system could look like by 2036 and how we can co-design it together. The event will explore:
• Equity and access
• Innovation in genomics, artificial intelligence and digital health
• Improved diagnostic journeys, mental wellbeing and long-term care
• Keeping the consumer voice central in every decision

Keynote panel includes:
• Sarah Powell, CEO, Inherited Cancers Australia
• Dr Erin Evans, CEO, InGeNa
• A/Prof Ali Archibald, Chief Clinical Officer, GenoCare
• Maya Pinn, Lived Experience Advocate, Syndromes Without A Name (SWAN) Australia
• A/Prof Danya Vears, Social Scientist and Ethics Researcher, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute/Deakin University