# SCN1A

Source: https://onco.cc/targets/scn1a/  
OnCo record `scn1a` (Target). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

SCN1A (Sodium channel protein type 1 subunit alpha) is a gene. The public catalogues list it as a drug target, and an approved or late-stage drug is recorded against it.

## Summary

Pore-forming subunit of Nav1.1, a voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channel that directly mediates the depolarising phase of action potentials in excitable membranes. Navs, also called VGSCs (voltage-gated sodium channels) or VDSCs (voltage-dependent sodium channels), operate by switching between closed and open conformations depending on the voltage difference across the membrane. In the open conformation they allow Na(+) ions to selectively pass through the pore, along their electrochemical gradient.

Open Targets scores its association with cancer at 0.54 (direct and indirect evidence; datatypes literature 0.39, animal model 0.37, genetic association 0.00, clinical 0.86).

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-23
- Also known as: sodium voltage-gated channel alpha subunit 1; Sodium channel protein type 1 subunit alpha; Nav1.1; GEFSP2; HBSCI; NAC1; SCN1; FEB3
- Tags: cancer-genes-wave
- Symbol: SCN1A
- Class: other
- Biology: Pore-forming subunit of Nav1.1, a voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channel that directly mediates the depolarising phase of action potentials in excitable membranes. Navs, also called VGSCs (voltage-gated sodium channels) or VDSCs (voltage-dependent sodium channels), operate by switching between closed and open conformations depending on the voltage difference across the membrane. In the open conformation they allow Na(+) ions to selectively pass through the pore, along their electrochemical gradient. The influx of Na(+) ions provokes membrane depolarisation, initiating the propagation of electrical signals throughout cells and tissues. By regulating the excitability of neurons, ensures that they respond appropriately to synaptic inputs, maintaining the balance between excitation and inhibition in brain neural circuits. Nav1.1 plays a role in controlling the excitability and action potential propagation from somatosensory neurons, thereby contributing to the sensory perception of mechanically-induced pain. Location: Cell membrane (UniProt). Locus 2q24.3 (HGNC).

## Notes

- Written by scripts/fetch-cancer-genes.ts from CIViC, Open Targets, IntOGen, HGNC and UniProt; the function text is UniProt's, condensed and in UK spelling. Roles: Open Targets known-drug datatype score 0.86. Evidence tier "approved-drug" is the strongest of those signals.
- Prevalence not recorded: none of the sources gives a positivity rate.

## Sources

- HGNC HGNC:10585: https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:10585
- UniProt P35498: https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/P35498/entry
- NCBI Gene 6323: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/6323
- Ensembl ENSG00000144285: https://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Gene/Summary?g=ENSG00000144285

## Connected records

- collections: [Open Targets Platform](https://onco.cc/collections/open-targets/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/scn1a.json