Discovery is the scientific exploration to find therapies that may be able to treat or cure your disease. Potential therapies can include drugs, medical devices, and biologics. Researchers often discover potential therapies through new scientific insights or by testing compounds for beneficial effects. After early testing of many potential options, researchers will select promising ones for further study.

It is ideal for your group to engage in research from the beginning. When researchers and industry partners understand your patient community’s needs and priorities and can track the natural history of your disease, they can target their research projects accordingly. You can often accelerate research by encouraging collaboration among scientists, government, and industry. You can also support research through efforts to increase funding for the development of translational research tools and discovery of potential therapies.