A ground-breaking new treatment for epilepsy is expected as a result of a new collaboration between local bio-medical research and development company AAT Research Ltd, the University of Cardiff (Prof. Vincenzo Crunelli) and the University of Malta (Prof. Giuseppe Di Giovanni). This three-year EpileFree Project, founded by the Malta Council for Science and Technology through the National R&I Program, connects industry and academia with the aim of developing an innovative technique that will benefit epilepsy patients.
Epilepsy is a condition caused by hyper-excitability of the brain that affects over 50 million people worldwide. While various effective pharmacological and surgical treatments for epilepsy are available, a substantial number of patients either experience major adverse effects as a result or do not become seizure-free. For the latter, this means that they are subjected to sudden and unforeseen seizures that impact their everyday life with temporary impairments of movement, perception, speech, memory or consciousness.
The EpileFree Project will look into an entirely new treatment that aims to overcome these limitations, by permitting greater control over the activity of specific circuits in the brain during epileptic seizures, while sparing normal brain function.
This novel approach relies on using new genetic methods to alter the electrical activity of discrete neural clusters in the brain using light. This project will further the researchers' understanding of the pathophysiology of epilepsy with the goal of developing and commercializing a device to stop epilepsy.
Prof. Di Giovanni, the project leader, explained: "The main focus of the research will be on how brain cells behave just before a seizure, and what happens to their activity when a seizure is taking place. The findings from this study will lead to the development of a new implantable device that prevent seizures from starting or spreading."
"This project falls in line with our company's goal to research and produce cutting-edge medical technologies that provide patients with the chance of leading a better life, particularly in the sphere of neurologically-based conditions," said Dr Adrian Attard Trevisan, Founder and Managing Director at AAT Research.
"EpileFree actually builds on the thorough epilepsy research that we have conducted to date, and will enable us to enhance and extend the work we have already done in this area. We are looking forward to working with our partners, who are international leaders in this research field, and to the outcome of the project."