Early intervention, in response to rising biomarker levels, could delay the onset of epilepsy, block the progression of the disease, and eliminate impairments in memory

(Chicago – February 6, 2018) New research, funded by Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE), has discovered a ‘smoking gun’ biomarker that could result in treatments that stop some epilepsies before they even start.

“Being able to identify that a person is likely to develop epilepsy following a brain injury is one of the most important focus areas in modern-day epilepsy research,” says Dr. Laura Lubbers, CURE’s Chief Scientific Officer. “With 3.4 million Americans suffering from epilepsy and seizures in the U.S., this discovery of a predictive biomarker for a certain form of epilepsy could prevent unpredictable seizures from taking over the lives of millions of Americans and their families.”

Using a rat model of brain injury and epilepsy, CURE-funded researcher Dr. Annamaria Vezzani and her team at the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research in Milan, Italy have identified that, prior to the development of epilepsy, high levels of the protein high-mobility group box 1 – also known as HMGB1 – have been found in both the brain and blood of rats. This means that high levels of the biomarker HMGB1 may predict the impending onset of epilepsy.

The CURE-funded research team also discovered that a combination of existing medications not only prevent an increase in HMGB1 levels, but delay the onset of epilepsy, halt the disease’s progression, and eliminate memory impairments associated with epilepsy.

“This discovery suggests that early intervention could slow, or potentially stop, the development of epilepsy in those at risk,” says Dr. Lubbers. “Epilepsy costs the United States approximately $15.5 billion each year, and prevention could result in ripple effects that go far beyond the millions who may receive early treatment.”

HMGB1 is normally released in the brain in response to neuroinflammation, the brain’s response to injury. Targeting the neuroinflammation that leads to increased HMGB1 with drugs that are already in clinical use could create an entirely new therapeutic area to prevent epilepsy from developing or improve its outcomes.

“With this research, Dr. Vezzani and her team have provided hope that a treatment for preventing acquired epilepsy before it occurs is on the horizon,” says CURE CEO Kate Carr. “We thank both Dr. Vezzani as well as our supporters who have made such research possible through their generous donations.”

CURE is now accepting LOIs for its first 2018 grant cycle. These grants include:

• Innovator Award – A grant of $50,000 paid over one year
• Taking Flight Award – A grant of $100,000 paid over one year

The deadline for both of these grants is January 8, 2018 at 9pm Eastern.

Full Key Cycle 1 timeline details are below:

For more information or to apply, interested parties should visit CURE’s Grant Opportunities webpage.

CHICAGO, IL – Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE) and Lundbeck have announced the naming of six new Education Enrichment Fund (EEF) Scholars.

The EEF Scholarships—made possible by generous support from Lundbeck—award a one-time scholarship (up to $5,000) to cover tuition, books, and course materials for those living with epilepsy, or for family members and caregivers of those impacted by the disease. The scholarship is to be used toward coursework advancing personal knowledge in research, health education, advocacy and/or awareness in relation to the recipient’s experiences with epilepsy.

Launched last year by CURE and Lundbeck with three scholars, the EEF Scholarship program has doubled in 2017 to fund six scholarships. The 2017 winners are:

• Drake Abramson, University of Indianapolis
• Jacqueline Bridges, University of Pittsburgh
• Brianna Brodeur, University of Illinois—Champaign
• Jordan Kaufman, Rollins College
• Casey Nunes, Benedictine University
• Nolan Wu, Trinity University

The 2017 scholars include students personally living with epilepsy and related syndromes, and ones caring for family members impacted by epilepsy. The scholars’ academic interests include neuroscience, biology, and public health—most with an eye to studying epilepsy.

“I am so inspired by the incredible individuals who have received the Education Enrichment Fund scholarships,” said Lorena Di Carlo, Vice President & General Manager, Neurology, at Lundbeck. “They have each taken adversity and channeled it into something positive. Lundbeck is honored to support them in their pursuit to help people who are living with epilepsy.”

“At CURE, we understand it’s vital to make a difference today in the lives of those impacted by epilepsy, and also to inspire and support the new generation of researchers and scholars that will hopefully end this disease,” said Kate Carr, CEO of CURE. “The EEF Scholars program helps us achieve both of these goals. Because of the strong support from Lundbeck, we are able to make a meaningful impact in the lives of these exciting young scholars.”

Hoboken, NJ – John Wiley and Sons, Inc., and the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) announced today the launch of a new international, open access publication, Epilepsia Open.

Epilepsia Open is an international, peer-reviewed journal from the International League Against Epilepsy. The mission of the journal is to make original epilepsy research on all aspects of epilepsy widely available through open access publication. More specifically, Epilepsia Open will fill a need in comprehensive epilepsy research by also including early, preliminary studies that may provide new directions for clinical and laboratory research as well as well performed negative and failure to confirm studies.

The journal launches with its first article, “Classification of the epilepsies: New concepts for discussion and debate.” This article intends to update the community on the work being done by the Task Force on the Classification of the Epilepsies and to solicit comments and criticism from readers.

Following this, the journal will cover: clinical, basic and translational research; clinical trials including pilot trials that may provide new insights or directions; well performed clinical trials that are negative or fail to confirm previous studies; original imaging and pathology research; innovative epidemiology studies; societal and public health impact studies; and clinical implications of basic science in epilepsy.

The journal joins ILAE’s portfolio of journals, including the highly ranked Epilepsia and Epileptic Disorders.

“Wiley is proud to extend our relationship with the ILAE into open access publishing and to expand through Epilepsia Open the portfolio of this valued partner,” said Shawn Morton, Director of Society Journal Publishing, Health Sciences at Wiley. “We expect that this new journal will amplify the work published in Epilepsia and Epileptic Disorders and that these three publications in concert will further accelerate and facilitate the transfer of research findings into clinical practice.”

“Epilepsia Open will allow us to address the broader needs of the ILAE constituency,” said Emilio Perucca, President of the ILAE. “By publishing in Epilepsia Open, authors can ensure that their research is readily accessible to the entire scientific and lay community, thereby enhancing the global visibility of their work.”

“Epilepsia Open is creating a unique forum for the rapid open access publication of epilepsy research, reviews, news and commentaries,” said Dieter Schmidt, co-Editor-in-Chief of Epilepsia Open. “We are committed to facilitating and invigorating a robust and successful publication pipeline that will improve translational research and health science in epilepsy.”

Epilepsia Open has four Editors-in-Chief: Dr. Aristea Galanopoulou is a Professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Dr. Gary Mathern is the Director of Epilepsy Surgery and Professor in Residence for neurosurgery at the Brain Research Institute UCLA; Dr. Dieter Schmidt is Emeritus Professor of Neurology of the Free University of Berlin; and Dr. Xuefeng Wang is the Vice Director of the Department of Neurology and Professor at Chongqing Medical University China.

In addition to its distinguished Editors-in-Chief, Epilepsia Open has a diverse list of associate editors and editorial board members from around the globe to represent the full international community for epilepsy research.

All articles in Epilepsia Open will be published under a Creative Commons license on Wiley Online Library. Authors with open access mandates from funders will be fully compliant when publishing with this journal. A publication fee will be payable by authors on acceptance of their articles. Waivers and discounts are available to authors in developing countries and under special circumstances. Authors affiliated with, or funded by, an organization that has a Wiley Open Access Account can publish without directly paying any publication charges.

The journal is open to submissions now and plans to publish the first issue online in September 2016. For more information, visit www.epilepsiaopen.com.