# SCN8A

Source: https://onco.cc/targets/scn8a/  
OnCo record `scn8a` (Target). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

SCN8A (Sodium channel protein type 8 subunit alpha) is a gene. The public catalogues list it as a drug target and a biomarker, and an approved or late-stage drug is recorded against it. Tied to Non-small-cell lung cancer.

## Summary

Pore-forming subunit of a voltage-gated sodium channel complex assuming opened or closed conformations in response to the voltage difference across membranes and through which sodium ions selectively pass along their electrochemical gradient. Contributes to neuronal excitability by regulating action potential threshold and propagation. More specifically expressed in non-neuronal cells, could play a role in sodium release from intracellular compartments and participate in the control of podosomes formation and macrophages adhesion and movement.

CIViC holds 1 clinical evidence item and 0 assertions across 1 variant, naming Pembrolizumab. Open Targets scores its association with cancer at 0.56 (direct and indirect evidence; datatypes literature 0.91, animal model 0.57, genetic association 0.00, clinical 0.86).

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-23
- Also known as: sodium voltage-gated channel alpha subunit 8; Sodium channel protein type 8 subunit alpha; Nav1.6; NaCh6; PN4; CerIII
- Tags: cancer-genes-wave
- Symbol: SCN8A
- Class: other
- Biology: Pore-forming subunit of a voltage-gated sodium channel complex assuming opened or closed conformations in response to the voltage difference across membranes and through which sodium ions selectively pass along their electrochemical gradient. Contributes to neuronal excitability by regulating action potential threshold and propagation. More specifically expressed in non-neuronal cells, could play a role in sodium release from intracellular compartments and participate in the control of podosomes formation and macrophages adhesion and movement. Location: Cell membrane; Cell projection, axon; Cytoplasmic vesicle; Cell projection, podosome (UniProt). Locus 12q13.13 (HGNC).
- Where found: Non-small-cell lung cancer: CIViC evidence names this disease

## 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; CIViC holds 1 clinical evidence items on its variants. Evidence tier "approved-drug" is the strongest of those signals.
- Prevalence not recorded: none of the sources gives a positivity rate.

## Sources

- HGNC HGNC:10596: https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:10596
- UniProt Q9UQD0: https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/Q9UQD0/entry
- NCBI Gene 6334: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/6334
- Ensembl ENSG00000196876: https://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Gene/Summary?g=ENSG00000196876

## Connected records

- collections: [CIViC](https://onco.cc/collections/civic/), [Open Targets Platform](https://onco.cc/collections/open-targets/)
- cancers: [Non-small-cell lung cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/nsclc/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/scn8a.json