Pediatric Epilepsies Awards
Ruth Westenbroek, PhD / University of Washington
We will study the effects of CBD/CBDV on seizures, premature death, and cognitive deficits in a well-validated mouse genetic model of DS, and we will determine the process responsible for their therapeutic effects.
Innovator Award
Senthil Sundaram, MD / Wayne State University
The construction of GRN will enhance our understanding of the mechanisms by which the disease develops.
Innovator Award, Funded by the 2014 CURE 365 Innovator Award
Fabio Benfenati, MD / The Italian Institute of Technology
We aim at delivering such molecules to the brain in order to “switch off” the pathogenic pathways that would lead to the onset of seizures, and actively maintain control of excitability until the physiological state of the brain is recovered.
Innovator Award
Avtar Roopra, PhD / University of Wisconsin-Madison
We aim to open up an entirely new arsenal of drugs – epigenetic modifiers – in the fight against epilepsy in TSC.
Pediatric Epilepsies Awards, Funded by the New York Friends of CURE Pediatric Epilepsy Award in Memory of Danny Tromberg
Elsa Rossignol, MD, MSc / Université de Montréal, CHU Ste-Justine, Canada
These experiments will help us clarify the mechanisms by which mutations in these new genes cause epilepsy and will help develop better therapies for children with epileptic encephalopathies.
Pediatric Epilepsies Awards
Laura Jansen, MD, PhD / University of Virginia
Our ability to test potential therapies directly on tissue from an affected child as well as on neurons expressing the same genetic mutation as that child will pave the way for the application of “personalized medicine” techniques to the treatment of intractable pediatric epilepsy.
Prevention of Acquired Epilepsies Awards, Funded by the Brighter Future Award
Thomas Sutula, MD, PhD / University of Wisconsin, Madison
This project is addressing this significant need by determining if administration of 2DG, a novel sugar analogue that blocks sugar metabolism, at the time of TBI reduces or prevents later development of post-traumatic epilepsy.
Prevention of Acquired Epilepsies Awards
Xiaoming Jin, PhD / Indiana University School of Medicine
In this project, we will use an animal model to determine brain injury-induced changes in HMGB1 and its receptors and their contribution to the development of epilepsy.
Prevention of Acquired Epilepsies Awards
Daniela Kaufer, PhD / The Regents of the University of California, Berkeley
Our ultimate goal is to develop a clinical protocol that will identify patients with BBB dysfunction, prior to the onset of epilepsy, and accordingly individualize a preventive therapeutic intervention.
