Citizen's United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE) founded by Susan Axelrod and other parents searching for answers to help their children impacted by epilepsy. The pioneers had a goal, drive epilepsy research to find a cure for this devastating condition.
CURE is instrumental in establishing the first-ever epilepsy research benchmarks by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). This is the first time NINDS holds a conference about curing epilepsy.
CURE funds its first two grants.
CURE takes up research in acquired epilepsy by funding a study on the role inflammation may play. Study led by Dr. Annamaria Vezzani, kicking off her influential career in epilepsy research.
CURE's Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) Initiative breaks new ground as the first private research program dedicated to investigating SUDEP and its prevention.
Friend of CURE, Jeanne Donalty, was key in driving this initiative after her son Christopher passed away due to SUDEP at the age of 20.
CURE launches SUDEP Signature Research Program and funds first SUDEP research grant to Carl L. Faingold, PhD.
To increase SUDEP awareness in the medical community, CURE and the American Epilepsy Society (AES) co-host the first SUDEP workshop at the annual AES meeting.
Before our involvement, physicians often didn't warn patients and caregivers about SUDEP. This workshop was a step toward broader information and patient knowledge.
CURE grantee Dr. Walter St. John shows that seizures can profoundly depress respiratory function in an animal model and potentially account for SUDEP.
A CURE funded study provides evidence that Prozac® (fluoxetine) can reduce respiratory arrest in SUDEP-prone mice, paving the way for further research in this field by Dr. Faingold and others.
CURE starts its first multi-year, multi-investigator research program with funding from the Department of Defense to study Post-Traumatic Epilepsy (PTE).
This initial funding paves the way for future Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program Funds to be directed toward understanding PTE and its impact on veterans and civilians.
Acquired epilepsy is linked to infections which cause central nervous system inflammation.
CURE drives collaboration with NINDS to host the first scientific SUDEP conference.
SUDEP registries are established in the US and Canada, thanks in part to funding by CURE.
Since then, we have supported and advocated for other national registries for SUDEP.
CURE partners with NINDS to develop the Centers Without Walls (CWOW) concept.
These centers promote collaborative research and speed up the pace of epilepsy research.
CURE is instrumental in creating Interagency Collaborative to Advance Research in Epilepsy (ICARE ). Led by NINDS, these annual meetings bring together government agencies, researchers, and patient advocates to discuss the state of epilepsy research, community needs, recent advances, and research goals.
Zebrafish are established as a new animal model for testing the efficacy of medications to treat epilepsy. With CURE funding, Dr. Scott Baraban establishes this model and subsequently discovers two FDA-approved drugs that could potentially reduce seizures in children with Dravet syndrome.
CURE plays a key role in publishing the first report on the prevalence of epilepsy, Epilepsy Across the Spectrum: Promoting Health and Understanding. Over 25 institutions came together to craft this now essential reading.
The Partners Against Mortality in Epilepsy (PAME) meeting is established with help from CURE. PAME's goal is to create broader SUDEP awareness by bringing together doctors, researchers, families, and advocates.
NINDS works with CURE to establish a SUDEP CWOW committing to fund $27.6 million in research over 5 years. This is the largest federal investment in SUDEP to date.
The groundbreaking CURE Infantile Spasms Initiative begins, bringing an innovative team-science approach to epilepsy research.
This multi-disciplinary approach to research was critical to securing funding from the Department of Defense in the following year.
CURE is awarded a 5 year, $10 million grant by the Department of Defense to study PTE.
Using a team-science approach, the team will develop new research models and biomarkers to understand risk factors for PTE.
The HMGB1 protein is identified as a biomarker of epileptogenesis in acquired epilepsy and as a potential target for therapies to stop the associated seizures.
This protein continues to be a key target in epilepsy research, with some current CURE grants exploring its role in the development and prevention of epilepsy.
CURE launches the Epilepsy Genetics Initiative (EGI) to deepen our understanding of genetic causes of epilepsy by connecting patients, physicians, and researchers from around the world.
Susan Axelrod and Illinois Senator Dick Durbin advocate to establish the Epilepsy Research Program at the Department of Defense. Congress directs $1.5 million toward studying the causes and prevention of PTE.
CURE awards the first grant to study the interaction between sleep and epilepsy.
EGI identifies a variant in the PPP3CA gene as a cause of epilepsy, giving physicians a new genetic cause to consider when diagnosing patients.
A less invasive, more accurate method of recording electrical activity in deep layers of the brain is developed thanks to CURE funding.
CURE funds the first four promising research projects as part of the PTE Initiative.
CURE grantee Dr. Annapurna Poduri discovers a link between an epilepsy gene and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) making the case for researching epilepsy genes as a cause of sudden death even in the absence of an epilepsy diagnosis.
CURE Epilepsy Catalyst, a new grant mechanism funding translational research, is introduced.
Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE) rebrands to CURE Epilepsy, reinforcing our mission by further linking our brand to our ultimate goal.