Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share From Cancer Biologist to Rare Disease Mom - Digging Into the Data to Better Understand SCN8A with Madeleine Oudin PhD - Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Tufts
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
From Cancer Biologist to Rare Disease Mom - Digging Into the Data to Better Understand SCN8A with Madeleine Oudin PhD - Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Tufts
ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 172
From Cancer Biologist to Rare Disease Mom - Digging Into the Data to Better Understand SCN8A with Madeleine Oudin PhD - Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Tufts
Madeleine Oudin is a scientist and Tiampo Family Assistant Professor at Tufts University. Her daughter Margo has two de novo mutations in the SCN8A gene, which causes epilepsy. She's navigating life as a rare, working mom and sharing her knowledge in an understandable and accessible way for other rare parents.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Can you tell us about the epilepsy conference you just attended?
The SCN8 community organizes the conference for clinicians, researchers and families every year at the American Epilepsy Society meeting. There were over 35 families in attendance who have children with SCN8A and it was amazing to meet everyone in real life.
What advice do you have for parents who aren't sure about attending a conference?
Meeting other people has made a big difference for me and I encourage others to find their people. Going to gatherings can lead to finding resources and there's value in connecting to others and learning more about a disease. Community is everything.
As a scientist and now a rare parent, how do you look through the microscope differently?
The impact of genetic testing surprised me in how vital it is when it comes to rare genetic diseases. When Margo had her first seizure and had genetic testing, the results helped to connect us to community. Genetic testing is vital for families to connect them to resources.
What work have you done in the SCN8A community to help other families understand the disease and advance the treatment progress?
Science communication is something I'm passionate about. Since becoming a rare mom, I started an Instagram account where I explain the science of the diagnosis and break it down so the information is accessible to everyone. I recently did a webinar breaking down the different treatment strategies for SCN8A.
Can you talk about Margo's acceptance to n-Lorem?
We applied with our neurologist and were accepted into the foundation to develop custom Antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) treatments. In parallel, we're doing treatments in my lab on a mouse and mouse cells, testing out different ASOs to see if we can gain any additional insights.
LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED
ONCE UPON A GENE - Episode 139 - Remember Who You Are
https://effieparks.com/podcast/139-remember-who-you-are
Margot_thebrave on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/margot_thebrave/
SCN8A Alliance
https://scn8aalliance.org/
American Epilepsy Society
https://www.ilae.org/
The n-lorem Foundation
https://www.nlorem.org/
SCN8A Unraveled
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-RngxzecxdLsaJFQyerqqfGLarDe9MUt
TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST
Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7
Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347
Stitcher
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene
Overcast
https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene
CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS
Website
https://effieparks.com/
https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene
https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en
Built Ford Tough Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
Interested in advertising on Once Upon a Gene? Email [email protected] for more information!
View all episodes
By Effie Parks
5
273273 ratings
ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 172
From Cancer Biologist to Rare Disease Mom - Digging Into the Data to Better Understand SCN8A with Madeleine Oudin PhD - Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Tufts
Madeleine Oudin is a scientist and Tiampo Family Assistant Professor at Tufts University. Her daughter Margo has two de novo mutations in the SCN8A gene, which causes epilepsy. She's navigating life as a rare, working mom and sharing her knowledge in an understandable and accessible way for other rare parents.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Can you tell us about the epilepsy conference you just attended?
The SCN8 community organizes the conference for clinicians, researchers and families every year at the American Epilepsy Society meeting. There were over 35 families in attendance who have children with SCN8A and it was amazing to meet everyone in real life.
What advice do you have for parents who aren't sure about attending a conference?
Meeting other people has made a big difference for me and I encourage others to find their people. Going to gatherings can lead to finding resources and there's value in connecting to others and learning more about a disease. Community is everything.
As a scientist and now a rare parent, how do you look through the microscope differently?
The impact of genetic testing surprised me in how vital it is when it comes to rare genetic diseases. When Margo had her first seizure and had genetic testing, the results helped to connect us to community. Genetic testing is vital for families to connect them to resources.
What work have you done in the SCN8A community to help other families understand the disease and advance the treatment progress?
Science communication is something I'm passionate about. Since becoming a rare mom, I started an Instagram account where I explain the science of the diagnosis and break it down so the information is accessible to everyone. I recently did a webinar breaking down the different treatment strategies for SCN8A.
Can you talk about Margo's acceptance to n-Lorem?
We applied with our neurologist and were accepted into the foundation to develop custom Antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) treatments. In parallel, we're doing treatments in my lab on a mouse and mouse cells, testing out different ASOs to see if we can gain any additional insights.
LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED
ONCE UPON A GENE - Episode 139 - Remember Who You Are
https://effieparks.com/podcast/139-remember-who-you-are
Margot_thebrave on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/margot_thebrave/
SCN8A Alliance
https://scn8aalliance.org/
American Epilepsy Society
https://www.ilae.org/
The n-lorem Foundation
https://www.nlorem.org/
SCN8A Unraveled
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-RngxzecxdLsaJFQyerqqfGLarDe9MUt
TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST
Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7
Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347
Stitcher
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene
Overcast
https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene
CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS
Website
https://effieparks.com/
https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene
https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en
Built Ford Tough Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
Interested in advertising on Once Upon a Gene? Email [email protected] for more information!
More shows like Once Upon A Gene
View all
The Girl Next Door Podcast
734 Listeners
The Mom Hour
1,691 Listeners
Hidden Brain
43,483 Listeners
Modern Love
8,873 Listeners
The Lazy Genius Podcast
6,518 Listeners
Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
69,085 Listeners
Life Kit
4,314 Listeners
Chasing Life
8,219 Listeners
Consider This from NPR
6,070 Listeners
The Rare Life
148 Listeners
Rare Mamas Rising
29 Listeners
We Can Do Hard Things
41,504 Listeners
Money For Couples with Ramit Sethi
3,361 Listeners
The Mel Robbins Podcast
20,604 Listeners
What Now? with Trevor Noah
4,119 Listeners