Around 250,000 of Irish people are carriers of the gene causing Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, a genetic disorder that can affect the lungs, liver and skin and can be deadly if undiagnosed. Kevin Colfer and his sisters talk about their experiences with the condition, and why they want to increase awareness.

Family and friends of one of the original Alpha-1 warriors Josephine McGuirk completed a unique marathon challenge for the month of February. This goal was to raise awareness of Alpha-1 and to fundraise for Alpha-1 Foundation Ireland.

The Health Research Board (HRB) of Ireland has announced Gerry McElvaney, Consultant Respiratory Physician at Beaumont Hospital and Professor of Medicine at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, as the winner of the prestigious HRB Impact Award 2021.

Irish Alpha-1 research published last month in “Thorax”, one of the world’s leading respiratory medicine journals, highlights the crucial importance of patient registries for rare conditions.

COVID-19 is a new illness that can affect your lungs and airways.  It is caused by a virus called coronavirus.

An Easy Guide to Rare Diseases in Ireland was launched on February 24th in the Mansion House in Dublin.  The guide is designed for the general public, healthcare professionals and the government.  It is the culmination of a lot of hard work by people across the rare disease sector, particularly...

Alpha-1 Foundation Ireland has been chosen as a global Alpha-1 leader in a new scheme to help other countries as they develop detection, advocacy, and awareness activities. 

Alpha-1 Conference 2019 took place in the Marino Institute of Education in Dublin on Friday, October 25th.  The theme for Conference 2019 was “How Can We Increase Awareness?” and a diverse range of speakers highlighted this important goal.

People with COPD are invited to participate in an important new Irish study looking at the impact of COPD on mental health.

Alpha-1 Foundation Ireland attended the Health Research Charities Ireland (HRCI, formerly MRCG) research conference and 21st birthday celebration in Dublin on September 18th. It was a conference to showcase all of the patient-focused research being carried out by the 37 member organisations of HRCI.