The Epilepsy Project and Epilepsy Foundation Announce First Recipients of New Therapy Grants Program Funding
Reston, Virginia
Reston, VA, and Landover, MD, December 14, 2004 -- The Epilepsy Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of epilepsy patients, today announced the three inaugural grant recipients of the New Therapy Grants Program, the organization's joint translational research initiative with the Epilepsy Foundation. Grant recipients were chosen based on the quality, mission, and practical application of the proposed research, as well as on evidence of a clear translational pathway to bringing new therapies to patients with epilepsy.
"Despite recent great strides in understanding epilepsy, more than 2.5 million epilepsy patients with refractory or recurrent disorder suffer from persistent seizures while on available epilepsy therapies. Furthermore, while a majority of these therapies cause serious side effects, patients have few or no treatment options," said Jacqueline French, M.D., Professor of Neurology, and Co-Director of the Pennsylvania Epilepsy Center, University of Pennsylvania, as well as Executive Board member and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of The Epilepsy Project. "These grants will fund exciting programs that have demonstrated a solid scientific basis and the potential to translate quickly into innovative new therapies, fulfilling the objectives of the Epilepsy Research Foundation's New Therapy Grants Program in helping to address the unmet medical needs of the epilepsy community."
The three New Therapy Grants Program recipients represent the breadth of innovative epilepsy research projects underway at academic institutions. These projects aim to develop novel anticonvulsive therapy based on compelling early evidence from a natural plant extract; the design of a non-invasive predictive seizure device; and a rational treatment model for electrical stimulation. Approximately $300,000 total was awarded.
The first recipient, Janet L. Stringer, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, was awarded a grant to determine the effects of particular ginseng extracts, or naturally occurring compounds known as ginsenosides in the treatment of seizures. Dr. Stringer's project is based on a research finding that a specific extract produced from ginseng leaves has greater anticonvulsant activity than the whole ginseng extract, Dr. Stringer's program aims to identify and characterize anticonvulsant ginsenosides, as well as to purify and prepare sufficient quantities of the extract for future clinical studies.
The second recipients, Robert Savit, Ph.D., Professor of Physics, University of Michigan and Jonathan Edwards, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology, Director, EEG Laboratory, University of Michigan were awarded a grant to complete testing and produce definitive proof of a concept for an ambulatory non-invasive recording device capable of providing advanced notice of an impending seizure. In previous research, Dr. Savit and his collaborators had developed a measurement of marginal predictability (MP) for nonlinear time series. Under an R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Savit and his collaborators observed significant, consistent changes in MP several tens of minutes prior to a seizure in patients with focal epilepsy. Based on these findings, Dr. Savit and Dr. Edwards' project aims to test the efficacy of changes in MP as a predictor of impending seizures as well as determine if the algorithm used for prediction is universal across epilepsy patients. The ability to predict seizure onset could be the foundation for future intervention devices and therapies preventing seizures before they occur.
The third recipient, Idil Cavus, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Neurosurgery Departments, Yale University, was awarded a grant to study the control of brain excitability by electrical stimulation in patients with epilepsy. Dr. Cavus' project is based on his preliminary findings that seizure suppression is correlated to the frequency of the stimulation: low frequency (1Hz) and high frequency (130-333 Hz) appear safe and efficacious; mid-range frequency (50 Hz) is not. Dr. Cavus aims to compare the effects of stimulating the epileptogenic neocortex of the brain at low and high frequencies on neurophysiological and neurochemical excitability measures in neurosurgical epilepsy patients. Currently available implantable stimulation devices are successful at treating other movement disorders, but have been ineffective at controlling many types of epilepsy seizures. The results will determine if frequency is a factor in efficacy and will serve as a guide for additional, comprehensive studies involving other stimulation sites, excitability measures, duration of stimulus, repetitive stimulation, in addition to other possible endpoints.
"Our mission is to condense the time it takes to develop and commercialize new epilepsy therapies by identifying and supporting cutting-edge scientific research in this field," said May Liang, Executive Director of The Epilepsy Project. "The Epilepsy Research Foundation, our joint venture with the Epilepsy Foundation, is an avenue for us to provide philanthropic funding to advance pioneering translational research projects in epilepsy, such as those of today's recipients, through our collaborative New Therapy Grants Program. We are very pleased to offer the Program's initial grants, which will hopefully accelerate promising research, and we look forward to awarding new grants through this program semi-annually."
The grant applications were reviewed and selected by a distinguished group of neurologists and epileptologists including Orrin Devinsky, M.D., Professor of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry and Director, NYU Comprehensive Center, New York University; Ray Dingledine, Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Pharmacology, Emory University; Robert Fisher, M.D., Professor of Neurology and Director, Stanford Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Stanford University; Robert Messing, M.D. Professor of Neurology and Associate Director, Gallo Center University of California, San Francisco; Steven Schachter, M.D., Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and Associate Director, Clinical Research at Harvard Medical School Osher Institute, Basim Uthman, Associate Professor of Neurology, University of Florida, and Jacqueline French, M.D.
The New Therapy Grants Program is supported by the Epilepsy Research Foundation (ERF), a joint venture of The Epilepsy Project and the Epilepsy Foundation. The ERF is a national non-profit organization founded to fund breakthrough translational research and expedite the commercialization of new epilepsy therapies through its "New Therapy Grants Program".
About the Epilepsy Research Foundation
The Epilepsy Research foundation was formed as a joint venture between the Epilepsy Project and the Epilepsy Foundation to fund new, innovative research to speed the search for a cure for epilepsy. Pledges to support the Epilepsy Research Foundation can be extended over a period of up to five years. All money raised will directly fund research programs aimed at discovering a cure for epilepsy and seizures. For further information, or to contribute, please visit www.epilepsyproject.org, www.epilepsyfoundation.org, or contact the Epilepsy Research Foundation at (800) 470-1655.
About the Epilepsy Foundation
The Epilepsy Foundation, a national non-profit with affiliated organizations throughout the United States, has led the fight against epilepsy since 1968. The Foundation's goals are to ensure that people with seizures are able to participate in all life experiences; and to prevent, control and cure epilepsy through research, education, advocacy and services. For additional information, please visit www.epilepsyfoundation.org.
About The Epilepsy Project
The Epilepsy Project is a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance new therapies for people living with epilepsy. Founded in 2002 by a group of parents, distinguished physicians and researchers, The Epilepsy Project's mission is to advance new therapies for people living with epilepsy. The organization funds translational research through direct grants. Since its founding, The Epilepsy Project has raised over five million dollars towards its mission. For further information, please visit www.epilepsyproject.org.