PET PET
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
Become a Friend Donate
  • About Us
    • People
    • Press Office
    • Our History
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of PET
    • Volunteer
    • Campaigns
    • Writing Scheme
    • Partnership and Sponsorship
    • Advertise with Us
  • Donate
    • Become a Friend of PET
  • BioNews
    • News
    • Comment
    • Reviews
    • Elsewhere
    • Topics
    • Glossary
    • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
  • Engagement
    • Policy and Projects
      • Resources
    • Education
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
    • People
    • Press Office
    • Our History
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of PET
    • Volunteer
    • Campaigns
    • Writing Scheme
    • Partnership and Sponsorship
    • Advertise with Us
  • Donate
    • Become a Friend of PET
  • BioNews
    • News
    • Comment
    • Reviews
    • Elsewhere
    • Topics
    • Glossary
    • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
  • Engagement
    • Policy and Projects
      • Resources
    • Education
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements
PETBioNewsNewsEpilepsy genome project underway

BioNews

Epilepsy genome project underway

Published 9 June 2009 posted in News and appears in BioNews 484

Author

Ailsa Stevens

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.

US researchers have unveiled a new study - the Epilepsy Phenome/Genome Project (EPGP) - to try and pinpoint the genetic and environmental factors that contribute to epilepsy and explain why some people respond differently to epilepsy medicine. The study, both the first and the largest of its kind...

US researchers have unveiled a new study - the Epilepsy Phenome/Genome Project (EPGP) - to try and pinpoint the genetic and environmental factors that contribute to epilepsy and explain why some people respond differently to epilepsy medicine. The study, both the first and the largest of its kind, is being funded by the National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, who are partnering with clinicians, affected families and epilepsy advocates around the country for this five-year study.


Approximately 50 million people worldwide experience regular seizures, making epilepsy one of the most common neurological disorders, according to World Health Organisation figures. Epilepsy can be triggered a brain injury or disease, but in approximately 60 per cent of cases the cause of the epilepsy is unknown. In some cases the condition runs in families, suggesting that genes may play a part.


Epilepsy is caused by a sudden burst of excess electrical activity in the brain, disrupting the normal electrical messages passing between brain cells and triggering a seizure. There are a wide variety of different epileptic syndromes, characterised by the age of onset, the type of seizure (e.g. localised to one part of the brain or throughout), the presence or absence of detectable brain disease and genetic background. However, very little is known about the genetic and environmental components that underlie these different types.


Furthermore, although 70 per cent of epilepsy cases can be successfully treated with anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs), most individuals suffer from unwanted side-effects, ranging from weight-gain, sleepiness and disorientation, to lowered efficacy of the contraceptive pill and harm to an unborn baby. A further three in ten epileptics cannot become seizure-free with current treatments.


In the hunt for genes linked to epilepsy, the EPGP hopes to compare the genomes of 3750 people who have epilepsy and also have a sibling with the condition, to 3000 healthy controls. Detailed clinical information will also be collected in order to try and uncover any environmental contributors. The researchers hope that the study will lead to better diagnosis of epilepsy and, new and more targeted treatments for people living with seizures.

Related Articles

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
19 August 2013 • 2 minutes read

Pair of genes linked to severe childhood epilepsy

by James Brooks

Two genetic variants have been pinpointed by researchers as causing two of the most severe forms of childhood epilepsy...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
31 January 2013 • 2 minutes read

Gene therapy controls epilepsy in rats

by Dr Lux Fatimathas

Researchers in the US have used gene therapy to reduce the severity of seizures in a rat model of epilepsy. The gene injected into the rats codes for somatostatin, a hormone which is normally found in low levels in people with the condition...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
11 January 2013 • 2 minutes read

Epilepsy and migraine may be genetically linked

by Dr Lux Fatimathas

Scientists find those with epilepsy who have a strong family history of the disorder are also more likely to have migraines...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
9 June 2009 • 1 minute read

Epilepsy gene pair may be 'seizure-protective'

by Ailsa Stevens

Two defective genes, which normally cause epilepsy when inherited individually, have been found to protect against seizures when inherited as a pair, according to a report published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. The researchers, based at Baylor Medical Centre in Texas, found that mice genetically engineered to...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

« Child born following whole ovary transplant

Data-Label The UK's Leading Supplier Of Medical Labels & Asset Labels

RetiringDentist.co.uk The UK's Leading M&A Company.
easyfundraising
amazon

This month in BioNews

  • Popular
  • Recent
13 June 2022 • 2 minutes read

Drop in diversity of blood stem cells leads to old-age health issues

27 June 2022 • 2 minutes read

UK report reveals public attitudes to fertility, genomics and embryo research

27 June 2022 • 2 minutes read

Shortage of sperm donors despite men willing to donate

27 June 2022 • 2 minutes read

North East London CCG proposes offering three funded IVF cycles

27 June 2022 • 2 minutes read

Fibrosis drugs reverse ovarian ageing in mice

27 June 2022 • 2 minutes read

Gene implicated in motor neurone diseases discovered

Subscribe to BioNews and other PET updates for free.

Subscribe
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Wellcome
Website redevelopment supported by Wellcome.

Website by Impact Media Impact Media

  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements

© 1992 - 2022 Progress Educational Trust. All rights reserved.

Limited company registered in England and Wales no 07405980 • Registered charity no 1139856

Subscribe to BioNews and other PET updates for free.

Subscribe
PET PET

PET is an independent charity that improves choices for people affected by infertility and genetic conditions.

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Wellcome
Website redevelopment supported by Wellcome.

Navigation

  • About Us
  • Get Involved
  • Donate
  • BioNews
  • Events
  • Engagement
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us

BioNews

  • News
  • Comment
  • Reviews
  • Elsewhere
  • Topics
  • Glossary
  • Newsletters

Other

  • My Account
  • Subscribe

Website by Impact Media Impact Media

  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements

© 1992 - 2022 Progress Educational Trust. All rights reserved.

Limited company registered in England and Wales no 07405980 • Registered charity no 1139856