THE HACKATHON
In collaboration with the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD®), a team of Harvard undergraduate students is excited to host the 2025 Harvard Rare Disease Hackathon.
Held in honor of Rare Disease Day® (February 28), the Hackathon will take place over the weekend of March 1-2, 2025. Our goal is to bring together brilliant minds to explore computational solutions for rare diseases, leveraging the power of open science and genomic data.
Join us to deepen understanding and drive meaningful progress in improving the lives of those affected by rare diseases!
For those applying to be a NORD Scholar, the registration deadline is Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. EST. For all other participants, registration closes on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. EST.
OUR PROGRAM
At the hackathon, post-secondary school students will have the opportunity to interact with inspiring patients, caregivers, physicians, and scientists involved in rare disease areas. Hackathon participants will be challenged to produce solutions of direct benefit to patients in these communities, with the eventual goal of scaling their solutions to better support rare disease patients.
WORK SESSIONS FOR PROBLEM SOLVING
Dedicated collaborative sessions where participants have the opportunity to tackle challenges and develop impactful solutions.
MENTOR OFFICE HOURS
One-on-one or small group mentoring opportunities to seek expert advice, refine ideas, and troubleshoot roadblocks in real time.
PATIENT & CAREGIVER LIGHTNING TALKS
Short, powerful talks highlighting personal experiences and challenges, providing a human perspective on the problems participants are aiming to solve.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER SESSIONS
Inspiring and insightful presentations from leaders in the field of rare disease and genomic medicine, offering participants cutting-edge knowledge and future trends.
SOCIALS & NETWORKING HOURS
Informal gatherings designed to foster connections among participants, mentors, speakers, and organizers, creating opportunities for community building.
FINAL PITCH PRESENTATIONS
Participants showcase their innovative solutions to a panel of renowned experts in rare diseases, receiving constructive feedback and recognition for their work.
MEALS & SNACKS
Participants will be provided with three meals a day—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—in addition to snacks.
AWARD CEREMONY
A celebratory conclusion, honoring the most impactful and creative solutions with awards and recognition.
PARTICIPANT INFO
WHO
Teams of 2-4 undergraduate or graduate students (with valid @_.edu addresses), irrespective of geographical location.
Participants may form a team prior to registration or choose to be matched by Hackathon organizers.
WHAT
An opportunity to collaborate in teams and analyze public and patient-sourced genomic and clinical datasets to develop impactful deliverables — such as data reports, computational tools, or web or mobile applications — for partnering patient organizations.
Participants will register for one of three tracks tailored to the journey of a rare disease patient: 1) genomic diagnostics, 2) therapeutic targets, or 3) symptom management. Participants will choose from a set of track-specific problem statements written by our partnering patient organizations to guide their project. Physicians, statisticians, biomedical scientists, and others will host office hours to assist teams with inquiries about rare diseases or computational methods.
During the preliminary round, teams will submit a slide deck with or without a GitHub repository to be evaluated by a judge. Six teams will advance to the final round and give an oral presentation to our panel of judges (composed of physicians, scientists, parents of patients with rare diseases, pharmaceutical companies, etc.). One team will be selected as the winner for each track, receiving a cash prize of $2,000.
WHEN
Problem statements will be released on Wednesday, February 26, 2025.
In-person, hackathon programming runs from Saturday, March 1, 2025 at 8 a.m. to Sunday, March 2, 2025 at 7 p.m. EST.
All meals are provided for participants.
WHERE
Harvard University Science and Engineering Complex: 150 Western Ave, Boston, MA 02134
Participants must attend the hackathon in-person and are responsible for acquiring their own transportation.
Students may apply for funding through our NORD Scholars Program.
WHY
To advance practical, meaningful, and enduring change to serve patients with rare diseases. Our goal is to provide an environment for effective collaboration to produce solutions of direct benefit to patients in the rare disease community.
HOW
Registration is free of charge. The registration is due Wednesday, February 12, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. EST (for NORD Scholar applicants) and Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. EST (for all others).
Research Integrity: All research norms must be strictly followed. Any previously published research used in final deliverables must be appropriately cited. Participants are welcome to use any public datasets and we will give directions to useful ones. Personally solicited or yet-to-be-published private data not provided by Hackathon organizers should not be used or presented at any point in the deliverable.
TRACKS
During registration, participants will select one of three tracks, each focusing on a different aspect of the journey of patients with rare diseases. Within their chosen track, teams will address a specific challenge by selecting one of 2-3 track-specific problem statements. Winners will be determined for each track based on the projects developed.
GENOMIC DIAGNOSTICS
The Genomic Diagnostics track focuses on the development of diagnostic tools and technologies that utilize genomic information to identify and understand rare diseases. Participants are tasked with leveraging advancements in genomics, such as next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics, to improve the accuracy, speed, and accessibility of diagnosing rare genetic disorders.
SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT
The Symptom Management track addresses the development of strategies and tools to manage the symptoms of rare diseases, enhancing quality of life for patients. It includes creating products that help mitigate or ameliorate symptoms when a cure or direct treatment is not currently available.
THERAPEUTIC TARGETS
The Therapeutic Targets track is centered around the discovery, development, and optimization of treatment options for treating the underlying causes of rare diseases. Possible approaches include gene therapy, small molecule drugs, biologics, or personalized medicine strategies tailored to genetic profiles.