Translating Mechanisms into Therapies for Epilepsies

The main goal of the study of epilepsy is to identify the causes and complex mechanisms that underlie the abnormal, synchronous, electrical discharges that occur in hyperexcitable neuronal networks during seizures. The specific theme of this GRC is “Translating mechanisms into therapies”, and will focus on how basic science discoveries on mechanism can be effectively translated into new therapies for the greater than 50 million people worldwide suffering with epilepsy, over 1/3 of whom are currently intractable to available therapies. The GRC will foster communication between scientists with both clinical and basic science training, thereby encouraging translational approaches to develop cutting-edge therapeutic treatments for epilepsy. A unique, intellectually challenging aspect of epilepsy research arises from the fact that it encompasses virtually all major levels of biological organization, from circuits and behavior to genetics, stem cells and cellular signaling. Thus, a major purpose of this GRC is to bring together scientists of diverse backgrounds including geneticists, molecular biologists, developmental neuroscientists, neuroanatomists, electrophysiologists, clinician-scientists and computational neuroscientists working on the full spectrum of epilepsy research from studies of basic mechanisms through preclinical and human research.