In late September, we – AHC Austria – attended the 14th International ATP1A3 Symposium in Paris. We came home with a feeling we hadn’t had in a long time: strength and energy.
What impressed us most was the commitment of the researchers on site – the sharpest minds worldwide in the field of the sodium-potassium pump, the very cell pump thrown off balance by the ATP1A3 mutation. People who have worked on this for decades – some of them long retired – and who keep going anyway, because they are convinced a solution is possible. Several experts spoke openly about expecting a real therapy within the next few years. Not empty hope, but one grounded in hard scientific work.
Just as important – maybe even more so – was meeting other affected families from all over Europe, from Brazil and from the US. People living the same life we do, caught between hope and worry. With them, no lengthy explanations are needed. You sit down, you look at each other, and you understand immediately. That exchange, that feeling of “we are not alone”, was worth at least as much as any lecture.
A lovely example of that togetherness: the very first ATP1A3 Morning Run – together, at sunrise along the Seine, researchers and families side by side. A small ritual that captures exactly what this symposium is really about.
Connecting with research groups and families from Europe, Brazil and the US is another building block on a long road. We like to compare it to an ultramarathon: there is no shortcut, but every step brings us closer to the goal – and in Paris we felt we are running it together with many strong fellow runners.
A detailed scientific summary of the talks and research results will follow in the coming weeks.
The next international ATP1A3 symposium will take place in October 2027 in Denver, Colorado – we are already working on making sure someone from AHC Austria can be there again.
Thank you to everyone for your support. 💙
— Michael & Verena
