Mission and structure

The “Mauro Baschirotto” Institute for rare diseases is located in the building called ex Don Calabria Institute “Casa Buoni Fanciulli” in Costozza di Longare, Vicenza.

The foundation’s main aim is to offer rehabilitation, research, diagnosis and therapy for rare diseases.

MISSION

The Institute is a reference center for rare diseases with genetic and non genetic origins and contributes to the actual possibilities for diagnosis and treatment of these pathologies.

The social impact of the rare diseases is heavy due to the physical and psychological damages for patients and to the relative high number of affected people concentrated in specific geographical areas, or inside particular populations.

Diagnosis and medical treatments of these pathologies are scarce or absent. Therefore, the aims to the Institute are to acquire deep knowledge of genetic diseases and to develop reliable methods and diagnostic instruments. Furthermore, it helps in finding specific and efficient drugs and therapies for each pathology.

The Institute has an important role in supporting Universities and private organizations, by the establishment of collaborations and projects for diagnosis and research in both genetic and non genetic rare diseases.

STRUCTURE

The Foundation for Rare Diseases has made available to the Institute a complex of own property consisting of “Villa Morlini Trento”, of the sixteenth century, where meetings, workshops and courses are held, and a latest church built about a century ago and completely frescoed.

Next to the villa there is a building including, on the ground floor, offices of the Foundation, a conference hall and the living quarters of the daytime rehabilitative garrison; on the first floor there are offices and location for the meeting of the Association such as the International Association Prader-Willi, the LAM patients group, the Lesch-Nyhan syndrome group, the MLD group, the SMA group, and others. On the second floor are located rooms for 20 patient host, and for families periodically housed

at the Institute for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes and for meetings of groups of information, training and self-help.

Separated from the villa there is a building of about 1800 sqm which is used, on the ground floor, for about 600 sqm as clinic rooms, sampling point, waiting room, patient acceptance, rehabilitation gym with changing room, box and treatment room.

On the first floor for about 600 sqm are located the laboratories of Medical Genetics, equipped for diagnosis and research with advanced instrumentation. The second floor will be set up with cellular and molecular biology labs, as a complement of the Medical Genetics laboratory.

All the buildings are surrounded by a large garden and an overdraft of about 30,000 sqm, where it is already set up a sports facility including a football pitch and changing rooms and where other sport-rehabilitation activities will be set up.

Another building totally independent from the Foundation will be allocated as a host safe structure, or “Dopo di noi”, for people without family support.