Author Archives: Ellie Challis

Attending the Westminster Parliament Reception for Rare Disease Day

February 27th marked a memorable and impactful day at the Westminster Parliament Reception for Rare Disease Day, which was graciously hosted by Genetic Alliance. It was an honour to be part of such a significant event, where individuals from across the rare disease space came together to share stories, raise awareness, and work towards positive […]

Join Our PPIE Initiative: Have Your Say in Improving PTEN care!

At PTENUKI, we believe that patients and carers should have a voice in shaping the future of healthcare. That’s why we are inviting you to join our Public and Patient Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) initiative—a unique opportunity to share your experiences and help improve PTEN healthcare services. Why Get Involved? Your insights and lived experiences […]

Book Review for Positively Rare

Positively Rare is a groundbreaking collection that goes beyond the medical aspects of rare diseases. It’s a celebration of the human spirit, a testament to the strength, purpose, and love that can flourish even in life’s most challenging moments. As Rob Haselberg, a Huntington’s disease gene carrier and rare disease advocate, aptly puts it,  “This […]

Pipgen Art Project: A Fusion of Science and Creativity

We are excited to introduce you to the Pipgen Art Project, an extraordinary collaboration between science and art! Over the past five months, a cohort of ITN PhD students have worked alongside talented art students from the prestigious Cambridge School of Visual & Performing Arts, creating a unique collection of 15 science-inspired artworks. Each piece […]

Unleash Your Creativity: Join Our PTEN Awareness Day Art and Photo Competition!

As PTEN Awareness Day approaches next month (October 23rd), we are thrilled to announce our inaugural art and photo competition! This unique initiative invites individuals affected by PTEN—patients, caregivers, and advocates—to share their stories through the transformative power of art and photography. Why This Competition Matters PTEN awareness day helps raise awareness about PTEN to […]

PTENUKI at the The PI3K-AKT-mTOR-PTEN pathway meeting in Barcelona

In September our trustees Ellie and Priyanka had the opportunity to represent PTEN-UKI at ‘The PI3K-AKT-mTOR-PTEN pathway: a new era in basic research and clinical translation’ conference in Barcelona which focussed on cell signalling pathway that PTEN is a part of. The conference was attended by researchers, clinicians and people from pharmaceutical companies. The event […]

PTEN UK & Ireland Patient Day summary 2023

On Saturday 24th June 2023 we held our 6th PTEN Patient Day in Oxfordshire, kindly hosted by the HealthScience communications consultancy Oxford PharmaGenesis. It was a beautiful sunny day so we were able to enjoy children’s entertainment and a BBQ in the beautiful walled garden. Whilst the children enjoyed the entertainment by Captain Fantastic we were able to give […]

One month to go until the next PTEN UK and Ireland Patient Day!

We are very excited that our 2023 PTEN Patient and family Day is just around the corner. Everyone is welcome! Date: 24th June 2023 Time: 10:30am – 3:30pm Venue: Tubney Warren Barn, Oxford, PharmaGenesis, Tubney, OX13 5QJ The day promises to be full of fun with children’s entertainment from Captain Fantastic! . We also have a delicious summer BBQ from All Events.  […]

PTEN Wellbeing Clinics

EXCITING NEWS!!! In the PTEN community we all understand the impact that living with a PTEN mutation can sometimes have, both physically and mentally. Therefore, PTENUKI are pleased to launch the *PTENUKI Wellbeing clinics* in collaboration with Rareminds. These wellbeing clinics will be monthly, online sessions available to all patients, parents, carers and family members […]

PTENUKI – new Chair of trustees

We are delighted to announce our new Chair of trustees, Jack Donnelly. Jack is from Coventry and approached the charity at the beginning of 2023 after his daughter Amara was diagnosed with the PTEN gene mutation at the age of 2. Jack felt strongly that after learning of Amara’s diagnosis it became apparent that there was a lack of […]