Across 16 Trusts in the West Midlands, more than 9000 participants have taken part in the rare disease arm of the 100,000 Genomes Project.
The West Midlands Genomic Medicine Centre, one of 13 centres across England, is the second highest rare disease recruiter across the country.
The project, which sequences the genome (the unique DNA fingerprint of a person) of someone with a suspected rare condition alongside close family members, has already led to genetic diagnoses for several participants.
This knowledge means families won't have as many hospital appointments, will be able to connect with support groups, and may also lead to potential treatments and, in time, a cure.
Thanks to everyone who's taken part across the 16 Trusts, we have recruited about 15% of the overall rare disease total.