SMA sufferers received their first glimpse of hope for a cure in 1995. Researchers pinpointed a gene on chromosome 5 that was missing or defective in 95% of all SMA cases. This gene is known as the Survival Motor Neuron (SMN) and it is crucial in creating the proteins necessary for motor neuron survival. Unfortunately over the last 10 years SMA has been left behind in funding. It has become a virtually unknown disease, and treatments have been slow to materialize. With the proper funding, researchers can focus their efforts toward increasing SMN protein levels through new drugs and gene therapies. With this funding, it is believed that an effective treatment could be achieved in as little as five years. Researchers at The National Institute of Health have recently selected SMA as the prototype for their accelerated drug discovery effort, singled out as the condition closest to treatment out of 600 neurological diseases. Leading researchers estimate a treatment for SMA could be reached in five years with funding of twenty to thirty million dollars annually. Unfortunately the research and finances to eliminate this disease have been slow to materialize. We need you to join the fight! Denying Death SMA Standard of Care