Cure SMA has awarded a $150,000 research grant to Chad Heatwole, MD, at the University of Rochester, for his project, ” Development of a Clinically Relevant Outcome Measure for Pediatric SMA Therapeutic Trials.” Dr. Heatwole and his team are working to develop SMA-specific patient reported outcome measures for use in SMA clinical trials and clinics.

SMA is caused by a mutation in the survival motor neuron gene 1 (SMN1). In a healthy person, this gene produces a protein—called survival motor neuron protein or SMN protein—that is critical to the function of the nerves that control our muscles. Without it, those nerve cells cannot properly function and eventually die, leading to

Dear Members of the SMA Community, For the past several years, we’ve been working to collect data and information on our community’s experiences, goals, hopes, and challenges. We know that the voice of our community is powerful. By sharing our stories, we can communicate our priorities to the FDA and regulators, provide insight into daily