Multidisciplinary Awards, Funded by the UCB Award
Audrey Yee, MD / University of Colorado, Boulder
Dr. Audrey Yee, an epilepsy researcher and clinical neurologist, and Dr. Amy Yee, a breast cancer and Wnt signaling researcher, will investigate new mechanisms and therapeutic strategies to treat epilepsy.
Jenny Hsieh, PhD / The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center/The Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research
Drs. Hsieh and Scharfman will collaborate to block neurogenesis in an animal model of TLE to resolve this issue.
In Memory of Christopher Donalty and Kyle Coggins
Alicia M. Goldman, MD, PhD / Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Dr. Goldman’s research is focused on identifying mutations in ion channel genes found in both the heart and the brain that underlie both cardiac arrhythmias and seizures, and may ultimately lead to Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP).
The 2009 Henry Lapham Memorial Award
Elizabeth Donner, MD / University of Toronto, Hospital for Sick Children
Using a network of collaborators across Canada, she will implement a registry that will collect data on every child in Canada with SUDEP.
Multidisciplinary Awards
Lisa Bateman, MD / University of California
Dr. Bateman and her collaborators will investigate whether fluoxetine (commonly known as Prozac which increases serotonin levels) improves respiratory function in individuals with intractable partial epilepsy.
Traumatic Brain Injury Awards
Asla Pitkänen, PhD / University of Kuopio, Finland
Dr. Pitkänen will investigate two pharmacological compounds that increase neuronal excitability as a way to assess if they can modify the neurobiological processes that lead to post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE).
Traumatic Brain Injury Awards
David A. Prince, MD / Stanford University School of Medicine
Drs. Prince and Graber will use three approaches in a rodent model to attempt to limit the excessive connections between nerve cells and the loss of inhibitory control of brain activity that contribute to epilepsy after injury.
Traumatic Brain Injury Awards
Stefan M. Lee, PhD / University of Southern California
Dr. Lee’s research will focus on a completely new approach for the treatment of focal epilepsy utilizing a smart-pump.
Traumatic Brain Injury Awards
Raimondo D’Ambrosio, PhD / University of Washington
Dr. D’Ambrosio’s project will determine whether focal brain cooling—cooling of the area of the brain responsible for the epilepsy—is an effective option to terminate seizures in both animals and humans.
