Translating Research into Cures

Washington, DC-How does one translate the results of a laboratory experiment into a medication that helps patients with epilepsy? To answer this question, Orrin Devinsky, MD, New York University Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, New York, NY, and Warren Lammert, Co-Founder and Director of The Epilepsy Project and Epilepsy.com, coordinated the Special Interest Group on Translational Research.

Steven Schachter, MD, Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School Osher Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, emphasized botanicals as a rich potential source of new medications for epilepsy. Indeed, many herbs are already used as antiepileptic drugs in other parts of the world. However, for the most part, these foreign preparations have not been scientifically tested. Because herbs are widely available and generally inexpensive, they may prove to be a very practical treatment of epilepsy for people throughout the world who cannot afford conventional prescriptions.

Frances Jensen, MD, Senior Associate in Medicine at Children’s Hospital and Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, described some of the progress in understanding the development of epilepsy. Many changes occur in receptors, neurons, and connections in the brain. It is possible that some medications that we already have, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), COX-2 inhibitors and antibiotics might prove useful in preventing epilepsy from developing in certain individuals. Combinations of treatments might also be more effective than single drugs alone.

Stephen Collins, MD, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer and Vice President of Clinical Affairs, Ovation Pharmaceuticals, Inc, Deerfield, Illinois, explained some of the business aspects of developing a new drug. Researchers should patent their discoveries to protect them, and then try and develop an effective medication. For rare diseases, the government has special rules that make it easier to market a new drug. There are also special incentives to develop drugs for children.

Gregory Went, PhD, CEO and Chairman of NeuroMolecular Pharmaceuticals, Emeryville, CA, emphasized the importance of a patent. Developing a drug from scratch can cost as much as $800 million dollars, and doctors will not be able to raise that money if there is no patent protection. Dr. Went’s company is working on combining a drug called memantine, which is used in Alzheimer’s disease, with epilepsy drugs, which may improve seizure control. This research is still in progress. Dr. Went concluded that it is very difficult to bring a new drug to market, but it can be made easier when basic scientists and clinicians understand the process and work together.