Adenosine Kinase Inhibitors for Antiepileptogenic Therapy

Epilepsy prevention is the ultimate goal in therapy development. In 25 years of research, Dr. Boison’s team found that a pathological reduction in adenosine, which is the brain’s own seizure terminator, not only triggers epileptic seizures, but also is a key factor in the development and progression of epilepsy. Therefore, increasing adenosine in the brain is a logical approach for the prevention of epilepsy. Therapeutic increases in adenosine can most effectively be achieved by using a drug, which blocks the major adenosine removing enzyme, adenosine kinase (ADK).

This project builds on a prior CURE-funded and published study, in which the team demonstrated robust epilepsy prevention in mice through the use of a small molecule ADK inhibitor. Our goal in this project is to optimize and test a new epilepsy preventing drug, which meets criteria for future clinical development. The development of such a disease-modifying therapy would likely transform our treatment options for epilepsy.