RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES

Why is research important?

  • Clinical trials showed that surfactant—a substance that keeps air sacs in the lungs inflated—helps premature infants breathe. As a result, the lives of thousands of babies who would otherwise die of respiratory failure are saved each year.
  • Clinical trials showed that giving antiretroviral therapy (AZT) to pregnant women with HIV-AIDS prevents HIV transmission. We have saved the lives of thousands of children born in this country every year thanks to this research.
  • As a result of repeated clinical trials in children with cancer, most children who develop leukemia survive. Only 50 years ago, acute leukemia was almost universally fatal in young children.
  • Prior to the development of the polio vaccine, 15,000 American children developed paralytic polio each year. In the last five years, there have been no cases of paralytic polio in the United States. This advance was only possible through clinical trials in children.
 Our goal is to find a cure!
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 Newly Diagnosed?

Did you or your child just receive a new diagnosis of SCN2A? If so, please know you are not alone!

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Map Your Child’s Variant

A tool has been created to allow you to see where your child’s variant falls on the SCN2A gene.
To create this visual go to the SCN2A Variant Viz and put in information found on the genetic report. It can be any of the following format:


In July 2018, Leah Schust and Michelle Lewis attended the Sodium Channelopathy Coalition Meeting on behalf of the FamilieSCN2A Foundation Research Committee. This innovative workshop was held in conjunction with other sodium channel foundations (which include SCN1A and SCN8A). The meeting brought together 35 of the world's leading researchers to develop collaborative approaches. The end goal of this meeting was and still is to accelerate progress towards treatment of the devastating sodium channelopathies through prioritization of the most promising research.

Click the button below for notes from that meeting.
View Notes

Articles which demonstrate why research is important

Gene linked to intellectual ability affects memory replay in mice

  • Press Release
  • Published: June 5, 2018

Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Brain Science in Japan have discovered that a gene associated with human intellectual ability is necessary for normal memory formation in mice. Published in Nature Neuroscience, the study shows that mice with only one copy of the gene replay shorter fragments of their previous experiences during periods of rest, impairing their ability to consolidate memories.

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Models for discovery of targeted therapy in genetic epileptic encephalopathies

  • By Snezana Maljevic, Christopher A. Reid, Steven Petrou
  • First published: July 25, 2017

Epileptic encephalopathies are severe disorders emerging inthefirst days to years of life that commonly includerefractory seizures, various types of movement disorders,and different levels of developmental delay. In recent years,manyde novooccurring variants have been identified inindividuals with these devastating disorders.

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FDA Approves Spinraza for SMA

  • By Cure SMA
  • Published: January 5, 2017

On December 23, the FDA announced that it has approved SpinrazaTM (nusinersen) to treat spinal muscular atrophy, making it the first-ever FDA-approved therapy for SMA. We are thrilled to see our community’s efforts culminate in the approval of Spinraza: not only the first-ever approved treatment for this disease, but also one that addresses the underlying genetic cause of SMA.

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Helpful Videos

Basics of SCN2A Disorders - Dennis Lal
The Genetics and Physiology of SCN2A
SCN2A - What's New in 2017
Life with a child suffering from a rare genetic disease - SCN2A
Hunting Down His Son’s Killer
Five Minutes with Will Pierce - SCN2A Champion

Our goal is to find a cure!

Did you or your child just receive a new diagnosis of SCN2A? If so, please know you are not alone!