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Jewish Genetic Conditions Are in Our DNA. They're Also in Our Power to Change.

SLC1A4 Deficiency is a devastating neurological disorder affecting Jewish families around the world. Roughly 1 out of 100 Ashkenazi Jews are carriers and most don't know it. Together, we can eradicate this genetic condition.

SLC1A4 family
Profound Neurological Impact
Life-limiting diagnosis
Undetected by Screening
Excluded from many genetic testing panels
No Available Treatments
No therapies currently exist

Advancing the Science, Accelerating Eradication

Given its genetic characteristics, researchers believe that SLC1A4 Deficiency is a promising candidate for gene therapy. In addition, other Jewish genetic conditions, such as Tay-Sachs Disease, Canavan Disease, and Familial Dysautonomia, have been drastically reduced as a result of increased carrier screening in the Jewish community.

How Your Donation Is Used

100%
Goes directly to research and advocacy
Laboratory & Animal Models
Building the tools needed to study and test therapies
Therapeutic Candidate Testing
Identifying and evaluating potential treatments
Clinical Trials
Moving the most promising treatments into human trials
Advocacy
Promoting inclusion on genetic testing panels
Administrative costs are covered separately — so every dollar goes to science and advocacy.

Research Funding Goals

Initial Goal
$100,000
Launch work on mouse models and cell lines

This first funding milestone starts work on the tools needed to test future therapies.

Gene Therapy Program Goal
$2,000,000
Gene Therapy Development

The program will progress through the gene therapy development, mouse studies, toxicology, and human trials.

Program Lead
Dr. Wendy Chung, Chair of Pediatrics at Boston Children's Hospital

Donations to the SLC1A4 Initiative are collected through Charityvest, a 501(c)(3) charitable platform, and are tax-deductible in the United States to the extent permitted by law. This structure allows funds to be directed to partnering academic institutions working on SLC1A4 Deficiency research, helping support the scientific and clinical work needed to advance treatment development.