EpiTher2: New approaches to treatment-resistant epilepsy : Date:
Around a third of all epilepsy patients do not adequately respond to available medication. The GO-Bio initial project EpiTher2 is utilising the discovery of a previously unknown resistance mechanism to develop new therapeutic approaches for this patient group.
Why existing treatments are reaching their limits
More than 50 million people worldwide live with epilepsy. Although numerous medicines are available, seizures cannot be adequately controlled in around 30 per cent of those affected. This drug-resistant form of the condition poses a major challenge for medical care. Despite many new active substances, this proportion has hardly changed in recent years. A key reason for this is the as yet inadequate understanding of the biological causes of drug resistance.
In the EpiTher2 project, the research team is building on a fundamental scientific discovery. For the first time, a cellular mechanism has been identified that explains why certain anti-epileptic drugs lose their effectiveness. This affects drugs that target sodium channels and are among the most important treatment options for epilepsy.
The findings open up new possibilities for specifically addressing the causes of drug resistance. This provides a scientific basis for the development of new drugs that could overcome existing resistance mechanisms.
From discovery to new therapeutic approaches
As part of the GO-Bio initial project, the research findings are now to be further developed and prepared for future application. The aim is to identify and validate new compounds that target the newly discovered mechanism.
In the long term, this could lead to a new therapeutic approach for patients whose condition has thus far been difficult to treat effectively. In addition, the project lays the groundwork for the commercial exploitation of the research findings and their translation into further drug development.
To learn more about funded GO-Bio projects, visit the overview page.