Cure SMA Canada

Early Check provides voluntary screening of newborns for a selected panel of conditions. The study has three main objectives: 1) develop and implement an approach to identify affected infants, 2) address the impact on infants and families who screen positive, and 3) evaluate the Early Check program. The Early Check screening will lead to earlier identification of newborns with rare health conditions in addition to providing important data on the implementation of this model program. Early diagnosis may result in health and development benefits for the newborns. Infants who have newborn screening in North Carolina will be eligible to participate, equating to over 120,000 eligible infants a year. Over 95% of participants are expected to screen negative. Newborns who screen positive and their parents are invited to additional research activities and services. Parents can enroll eligible newborns on the Early Check electronic Research Portal. Screening tests are conducted on residual blood from existing newborn screening dried blood spots. Confirmatory testing is provided free-of-charge for infants who screen positive, and carrier testing is provided to mothers of infants with fragile X. Affected newborns have a physical and developmental evaluation. Their parents have genetic counseling and are invited to participate in surveys and interviews. Ongoing evaluation of the program includes additional parent interviews.

This is a single center, 22-month observational study of nusinersen treatment in adult patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). There will be a total of seven visits. Nusinersen is provided as standard of care and not considered research in this study. Information will be collected regarding the general health, and function including muscle strength of, as well as any positive and/or adverse events experienced by the study participants.

The primary objective of this research protocol is to study and follow the course of motor neuron loss in individuals with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) using the electrophysiological technique of motor unit number estimation (MUNE). This study is based on the hypothesis that the electrophysiological technique of motor unit number estimation (MUNE) and compound muscle action potential (CMAP) provide sensitive indicators to assess the severity and progression of disease in adults with SMA.