Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects the motor nerve cells in the spinal cord and impacts the muscles used for activities such as breathing, eating, crawling, and walking. Each year, thousands of infants in the U.S. and around the world are born with SMA. SMA also impacts children, teens, and adults from every background, race, and gender. Approximately one in 50 people, more than six million total, is a genetic carrier for SMA. There are several approved treatments for SMA, but we do not yet have a cure.