Future Scientists Competed to Solve Rare Cases at the II. Rare Hackathon

Organized as part of Rare Disease Day on February 28, the II. Rare Hackathon brought together students from life sciences, health sciences, and medical school to explore the complex world of rare diseases. Held under the RareBoost project at the IBG Aziz Sancar Meeting Hall, the event aimed to generate innovative solutions to the challenges faced in the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases.

The program began with introductory presentations by Prof. Nur Arslan and Prof. Okay Çağlayan. During the morning session, students worked in multidisciplinary teams, conducting literature searches and case analyses to solve the rare cases presented to them.

The afternoon public session continued with the Rare Disease Day opening speech by Prof. Dr. Uğur Özbek. Next, teams presented their proposed solutions to an expert jury panel. The jury evaluated the presentations based on scientific rigor, feasibility, and creativity. Following a presentation by the sponsor company HaploX Biotechnology, the highly anticipated results were announced and awards were presented to the winning teams.

The II. Rare Hackathon not only helped participants strengthen their teamwork and evidence-based reasoning skills, but also contributed significantly to raising public awareness about rare diseases.

We sincerely thank the sponsor HaploX Biotechnology, all the participants, mentors, and members of the organizing team who contributed to making this event possible.