The NCL foundation began its official fight against the deadly children's disease Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (NCL) . NCL is the most common form of children's dementia. It counts amongst a  group of rare diseases also know as orphan diseases. The 400 children in Germany with NCL (50,000 world wide) are more or less left to fend for themselves. The pharmaceutical companies do not invest in the development of new medications since the potential medicines hold little promise of helping or stabilising the disease. This is where the NCL foundation steps in to improve the lives of those affected by the illness by supporting research funding.