Challenge Award
Annamaria Vezzani, PhD / Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri (IFRMN) - Milan, Italy
The project goals are to use experimental models to prove the HMGB1 involvement in epilepsy development and its comorbidities, the utility of blood HMGB1 for predicting disease development and the therapeutic response to treatment, and the anti-epileptogenic effects of a new combination of medically used drugs targeting HMGB1.
Pediatric Epilepsies Awards
Jeong Ho Lee, MD, PhD / Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
The identification of brain-only genetic mutations will not only reveal the cause of the epilepsy, but will also provide information on biomarkers and medically actionable targets, which are important as we seek to treat these childhood drug-resistant epilepsies.
Taking Flight Award
Gemma Carvill, PhD / University of Washington
Here, we will use a new genome-editing technology to introduce mutations into two of these genes and create neuronal models of epilepsy.
Taking Flight Award
Gaia Novarino, PhD / Institute of Science and Technology, Austria
We aim to employ human “mini brains” to compare the effect of a large number of genetic mutations and identify points of intersection between distinct forms of EIEEs.
Innovator Award, Funded by the Team S4 Award
Angelique Bordey, PhD / Yale University
If exosomes released from “epileptic” neurons do alter the function of healthy neurons, this would open up an entirely new field of epilepsy research.
Pediatric Epilepsies Awards
Glenn King, PhD / The University of Queensland, Australia
We have identified compounds that enhance Nav1.1 function in order to control seizures, and we aim to develop these molecules as therapies.
Pediatric Epilepsies Awards, Funded by the Team S4 Award
Natalia De Marco Garcia, PhD / Cornell University
We will focus our studies in a subset of inhibitory neurons since our previous work indicates that these neurons are exquisitely sensitive to environmental stress in newborns.
Taking Flight Award
Darren Goffin, PhD / The University of York, United Kingdom
These studies will provide new insights into the pathogenesis of seizures in RTT and may aid in the development of new strategies for their control.
Prevention of Acquired Epilepsies Awards
Mouhsin Shafi, MD, PhD / Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
We will utilize a noninvasive brain stimulation technique, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), in combination with electroencephalography (EEG) to evaluate brain excitability, and thereby the risk of developing epilepsy, in patients with an acquired brain infection called Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML).
