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Funding to Advance Innovative Epilepsy Therapies is Spearheaded by Epilepsy Therapy Development Project

By Rita Watson, MPH

With a goal towards advancing new therapies for persons with epilepsy, The Epilepsy Therapy Development Project (Epilepsy TDP) announced three translational research awards, and, in addition, a deadline of September 1, 2007 for the next grant cycle of funding through the Epilepsy Research Foundation (ERF) and the Milken Family Foundation.

Three translational research awards

The newly-awarded translational research grants were:

  • For development of a novel electrical stimulation approach that directly controls the activity of the brain to attain a more stable state from which seizures will not arise -- the award recipients are: Robert E. Gross, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Departments of Neurosurgery and Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, and Steve M. Potter, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University.
  • For development of an intravenous (IV) formulation of topiramate to bring a well-established and effective medication to a new therapeutic indication -- neonatal seizures, the grant recipient is James C. Cloyd, PharmD, Professor and Director, Epilepsy Research and Education Program, University of Minnesota.
  • For development of an electrophysiology platform for multi-scale EEG and stimulation experiments -- the grant recipient is Gregory A. Worrell, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Neurology, Mayo Clinic.

The awards to the three projects were made possible through the ERF, created to support the development of new, innovative translational research in producing new therapies and a cure for epilepsy. The ERF was formed by the Epilepsy TDP, a non-profit organization seeking to advance new therapies for people living with epilepsy and the Epilepsy Foundation, a national non-profit which has led the fight against epilepsy since 1968, and with support from Finding A Cure for Epilepsy and Seizures (FACES), a non-profit organization at the NYU Medical Center and its Comprehensive Epilepsy Center.

Applications being accepted until September 1

New grant opportunities are being made available through the ERF’s New Therapy Grants Program. These will be awarded to scientific and clinical investigators pursuing innovative projects that demonstrate a clear path to commercialization.

In addition, the Milken Family Foundation is requesting proposals for its Translational Research Award program designed to advance the development of novel therapies for the treatment of epilepsy. To view the request for proposals and to apply, please visit www.epilepsyproject.org/grants.

“We are pleased to recognize our grant recipients for their valuable, innovative work,” said Warren Lammert, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Epilepsy TDP. He added, “More than 3 million people in the United States and 50 million people worldwide have some form of epilepsy. More than a third of these people – approximately one million men, women and children in the US alone – face persistent seizures despite best medical treatment. These grants underscore the important missions of the supporting organizations – to improve the quality of life for people living with epilepsy by advancing exceptional translational epilepsy research.”


Submitted: 07/31/07
Edited by Steven C. Schachter, MD

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