2010 Annual SMA Conference, Santa Clara, CA
Since 1988, Families of SMA has hosted an annual conference so that families can hear about the latest research, share the latest in disease management techniques and therapies and network with other families and professionals.
SMA, the leading genetic killer of children under the age of two, is typically marked by the degeneration of muscle movement including the muscles that control crawling, walking, swallowing or breathing. There are no approved therapies for the treatment of SMA, which affects one in every 6,000 babies. One in every 40 people carries the gene that causes SMA, indicating approximately 7.5 million carriers in the United States.