Dr. Bender will receive $334,390 to further his research. This grant will act as a catalyst towards our vision of treatments and cures for all SRDs.

GETTYSBURG, PA, UNITED STATES, September 13, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- The FamilieSCN2A Foundation, the leading nonprofit organization in the world dedicated to advancing research, education, and support for individuals and families affected by SCN2A-related disorders, announced today a new recipient of their competitive Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) grant program. Kevin Bender, PhD, is the second recipient in 2023 to receive HH grant funds for his project, Advancing the Metrics of SCN2A Therapeutics and Behavior in Mature Animals.

Dr. Kevin Bender, Associate Professor of Neurology at Weill Institute for Neuroscience at USCF, aims to 1. Determine efficacy of later-in-life rescue of SCN2A function in Scn2a+/- haploinsufficient mice (a mouse that models a form of loss-of-function SCN2A), and 2. Develop behavioral metrics of cognitive flexibility and learning in Scn2a+/- mice.

“We are very grateful for this support from FamilieSCN2A Foundation. In the last few years, we’ve tested therapeutic approaches that restore features of typical neuronal and behavioral function in developing SCN2A systems,” says Dr. Kevin Bender. “With this support, we can ask whether similar success can be made later in life. I don’t want to leave any child behind.”

"The Bender lab has helped establish the growing body of preclinical evidence that suggests that therapeutic intervention in SCN2A has transformative potential,” said Shawn Egan, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of FamilieSCN2A Foundation. "His lab’s contributions have not only expanded our understanding of SCN2A-related disorders but will also pave the way for new therapeutic approaches and interventions. This work has the potential to help define what the therapeutic windows are for SCN2A-related disorders and we are optimistic that it may be longer than originally thought. Furthermore, these works seek to also develop preclinical outcomes assessments, which if validated could prove to be instrumental in advancing novel therapeutics towards the clinic.”

The FamilieSCN2A Hodgkin-Huxley rolling grant program was created to honor the achievements of Dr. Alan Hodgkin and Dr. Andrew Huxley and their discoveries that revealed how sodium channels help generate action potentials, laying the groundwork for modern neurosciences. As part of the grant, Dr. Bender will receive $334,390 USD of funding to further his research. The FamilieSCN2A Foundation is confident that this grant will act as a catalyst towards their vision of a world with effective treatments and cures for all SCN2A-related disorders.

About FamilieSCN2A Foundation: The mission of the FamilieSCN2A Foundation is to accelerate research, build community and advocate to improve the lives of those affected by SCN2A-related disorders around the world. Founded in 2015 by parents of children affected by a change in the SCN2A gene, the organization has funded more than $4.5 million in less than ten years.

Contact details: Leah S Myers
FamilieSCN2A Foundation
+1 301-252-8070
leah.schust@scn2a.org
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