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
Woman researcher using microscope in lab

Aberrant regulation of a poison exon caused by a non-coding variant in Scn1a-associated epileptic encephalopathy

In late June 2020, Voskobiynyk et al shared their recent manuscript on bioRxiv (pre-print before peer-review) detailing a novel mouse model of Dravet syndrome that carries the same mutation in a non-coding region as a patient diagnosed with Dravet syndrome. “Non-coding” means that the mutation is not located in an area of the DNA that […]

Aberrant regulation of a poison exon caused by a non-coding variant in Scn1a-associated epileptic encephalopathy Read More »

Woman researcher using microscope in lab

Antisense oligonucleotide modulation of non-productive alternative splicing upregulates gene expression

Stoke Therapeutics published a paper in Nature Communications detailing the mechanism of action for their new TANGO (targeted augmentation of nuclear gene output) therapy that utilizes ASO (antisense oligonucleotide) technology. While the applications of this technology have been discussed in presentations and meetings, this is the first publication detailing how it was developed. Cells use

Antisense oligonucleotide modulation of non-productive alternative splicing upregulates gene expression Read More »

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