Veronica Hood, PhD

Dr. Hood joined the DSF staff in 2020. She has an MS in Biology from East Tennessee State University and a PhD in Cell, Stem Cell, and Developmental Biology from the University of Colorado. She spent 10 years in laboratory settings researching how small changes in genetic and molecular regulation contribute to complex neurological diseases. In 2007, Veronica had a son, Gabriel, who faced severe developmental challenges. Gabriel presented with initial seizure activity within his first two months of life, and his medical needs quickly became quite complex. Despite endless testing, a diagnosis remained elusive, and at the age of 8, Gabriel passed away. These experiences fueled Veronica’s passion to advance medical research and shaped her desire to support other families facing similar challenges. She hopes to apply her scientific knowledge and her understanding of the caregiver experience to support the Dravet community by facilitating Dravet-focused research and acting as a liaison between researchers, professionals, and families.

Veronica Hood PhD DSF Scientific Director
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New Genetic Therapy for Dravet Syndrome Advances Towards Clinical Trials

Given the limited effectiveness of current therapies to treat Dravet syndrome and the significant burden of symptoms, much hope lies in the potential of targeted genetic therapies to treat Dravet syndrome at the root cause and modify the course of the disease. In the majority of cases, patients with Dravet syndrome carry mutations in the […]

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Investigating PBA as a Treatment for Epilepsy

The pipeline for new therapies to address Dravet syndrome in 2024 is encouraging. There are several ongoing clinical trials for potential new treatments and even more in development. In today’s blog I will highlight a compound that is being investigated in a variety of human diseases and some recent work demonstrating there may be potential

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2023 American Epilepsy Society Meeting Dravet-focused Recap

It is a continuing trend that research related to Dravet syndrome (DS) has robust representation at the annual American Epilepsy Society (AES) Meeting. DS came up across sessions large and small throughout the meeting, highlighting examples of the advancements in diagnosis, treatment algorithms, preclinical modeling, and novel genetic therapies that are occurring for DS. Notably,

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DSF is creating a biobank of patient-derived iPSCs

Model systems have allowed researchers to study Dravet syndrome in ways that would not be possible in a human patient. Uncovering the genetic cause of Dravet syndrome (mutations in the SCN1A gene) enabled the development of animal models carrying similar mutations and displaying characteristic symptoms of Dravet syndrome. These animal models include flies, zebrafish, mice,

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Special 2023 Request For Grant Applications: Understanding Broader Genetic Impacts on Phenotype in Dravet Syndrome

The Dravet Syndrome Foundation (DSF) is issuing a special request for grant applications proposing research projects that will deepen our understanding of genetic impacts on the diverse phenotypic outcomes of individuals with Dravet syndrome. Application Due Date: September 8, 2023Award Budget: up to $1M distributed over 3 years (beginning in January 2024) Download the RFA

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