Research

Epilepsy Research Foundation

A partnership among three leading non-profit epilepsy organizations:
Epilepsy Foundation, Epilepsy Therapy Project and Finding a Cure for Epilepsy and Seizures (f.a.c.e.s)

New Therapy Research

Every day, millions of people lose seconds, minutes or hours of their lives to seizures. These precious moments can never be regained. That’s why the Epilepsy Research Foundation funds research with the potential to discover new treatment options and ultimately a cure. The following are the most recent New Therapy Grant awards:

Spring 2009 Awards

Nandor Ludvig, M.D., Ph.D. New York
University School of Medicine
Safety Profile of the Subdural Hybrid Neuroprosthesis for Focal Epilepsy


This project will determine the safety of a new medical device, the subdural Hybrid Neuroprosthesis, for the treatment of drug resistant, surgically untreatable focal epilepsies. The device will deliver muscimol or other seizure-controlling drugs directly into the cortical seizure focus via the subdural space to prevent seizures without side-effects. The safety of this emerging epilepsy therapy will be tested in monkeys, so that the device can be implanted in the same way as in humans and generated data can be relevant to human conditions.
Catherine Schevon, M.D.
Columbia University Medical Center
Clinical EEG Acquisition System with Online Fast Ripple Detection

High frequency oscillations (HFOs) in the brain can identify areas for epilepsy surgery treatments, but are technically difficult to detect. This new system will bring automatic online HFO detection into clinical practice, making current surgical treatments more effective, and potentially simplify surgeries for many epilepsy syndromes.

Fall 2008 Awards

Jacqueline French, M.D.
New York University School of Medicine
Assessment of Narrow Spectrum AEDs in the Photosensitivity Model
This project will determine whether patients who usually have epileptic discharges when exposed to flashing lights (photosensitive patients) will show a reduction in epileptic activity when they take a single dose of three marketed drugs (carbamazepine, pregabalin, levetiracetam). This photosensitivity model is already in use as a screen for identifying new AEDs. However, the spectrum of drugs that can or will be identified by the model is unknown. Therefore, this project will enhance the study design and methods for the existing model with hopes of results that will ultimately contribute to promising new drugs for epilepsy.

Sponsored in part by the Milken Family Foundation
Chandan Gope, Ph.D.
Intellivision Technologies Inc., San Jose, CA
Smart Watch for Seizure Detection and Monitoring

Smart Watchis a low-cost wireless device that detects and alerts caregivers of the onset of epileptic seizures in patients prone to tonic-clonic or tonic seizures. It is non-intrusive and compact – the size of a wrist watch, which can be worn on the wrist or ankle of the patient. The goal of the project is to perform clinical trials, validate and commercialize the Smart Watch.
Benjamin Sredni, Ph.D.
Bar-Ilan University, Israel
Novel Tellurium Compounds with Neuroprotective Activity in Epilepsy

Most efforts to understand the development and manifestation of seizure activity have focused almost exclusively on the dysfunction and ultimately, death of nerve cells. This exclusive concentration on neurons must now be reevaluated in light of recent discoveries showing that neuronal function is tightly controlled by non-neuronal cells that induce inflammation causing neuronal damage resulting in recurrent seizures. This proposal suggests to alter the classical approach used for the treatment of epilepsy by using new tellurium-based drugs with multifunctional traits, targeting both inflammatory and cell death events. These compounds have previously been efficient in animal models of neurodegenerative diseases. These drug traits suggest the tellurium compounds as promising agents for the treatment of epilepsy.

To read about other research supported by Epilepsy Research Foundation, click here.