AHCF

Protected Tomorrows Parent University - ABLE Account Webinar
2026-06-11 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
Protected Tomorrows Parent University is presenting a free webinar on June 11th. Everyone who has an interest in the Special Needs Community is invited. In this important session about ABLE Accounts, we will cover:
The basics of ABLE
How ABLE differs by state
How to stay out of trouble.
What is the best way to use this funding tool?
Click Here To Register https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pcsTjmpJQVeFHVZqQwal5A#/registration

AHCF Webinar - Dr Mohamad Mikati
2026-06-18 19:00 - 20:30
“What We’ve Learned from the outcome study of 115 Individuals with AHC: Insights for Families and Future Treatments”
Register Here- https://accountingdepartment.zoom.us/meeting/register/DDXOrtUhQj6CrGrqyzjA8A
The Natural History Study of AHC which was published recently (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cns3.70037) and was highlighted as the top article of the year in the North American Child Neurology Society, has major implications for the care of AHC champions and for anticipated clinical trials. This study highlights, among other things, many prognostic factors that help chart the clinical course of specific patients, that can help families know what to expect and thus better care for these champions.
Examples include the following:
1. Better understanding the factors that determine the trajectories of each patient depending on, not only, the gene mutation but also on their specific early pattern of development and severity of spells at around the age of one year and on the presence of epilepsy
2. The amelioration of plegia spells during the period of later childhood through mid-adulthood.
3. The potential detrimental effects of epilepsy on development and on life threatening events.
Implications on the therapies given to AHC champions include tailoring and individualizing the prescribed treatments/anticipatory guidance and being deliberate and proactive in the therapy of epilepsy.
Findings from this study will help in planning anticipated therapeutic trials including gene therapies in several ways, among them to make sure patients who receive such therapies are compared to untreated patients with similar anticipated clinical course trajectories as well as planning the timing of the interventions in these trials.
Mohamad A. Mikati MD, FAS, Davison Professor of Pediatrics, Professor of Neurobiology, Duke University who has received multiple awards and is listed by research.com as one of the ranked Best Scholar Neuroscientists nationally and worldwide (> 350 scientific articles, 55 are about AHC/ATP1A3).
He received his MD at the American University of Beirut then trained in Neurology and Neurophysiology at Harvard.
His basic science and clinical research concentrated on epilepsy and on Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood (AHC). In AHC, he was the first to demonstrate, in 1992, familial occurrence of AHC, thus proving that it is a genetic disease.
He also was the first to develop an AHC-USA Registry at Harvard and to report, in 2000, based on that registry, on the totality of AHC manifestations and long-term outcome. Subsequently, he was one of 2 senior and corresponding authors, contributed equally, of the Nature Genetics article that, in 2012, demonstrated that AHC is caused by ATP1A3 mutations.
Then, in 2015 and 2018, he generated mouse models of the two most common AHC mutations, established that they faithfully reflect human AHC manifestations and characterized their neuronal electrophysiology.
He led the team that was the first to demonstrate that gene therapy increases survival and ameliorates several manifestations in AHC mice.
He also established, at Duke, the leading center for care and clinical research for patients with AHC in the USA and generated a series of publications (2015-2026) regarding the manifestations and therapies of AHC.
He co-founded, led and collaborated with other members of the International AHC Consortium (IAHCRC) on clinical studies of AHC including the international natural history study, in 2025.
He continues to pursue active clinical and basic research aiming at curing AHC.
