More insight, faster tailormade solutions

Identifying new genes in which DNA deviations cause epilepsy will lead to a better insight in the cause and origination of epileptic seizures. The more becomes clear, the better the best fitting treatment can be determined. A better insight in the genetic component of epilepsy can also contribute to the development of new therapies.

In cases where the epilepsy is hard to treat, when it obstructs the development or gets more serious fast, an early diagnosis is important. The correct diagnosis gives a better outlook on the prognosis and the most suitable treatment can be deployed immediately. This stops further decline, damage and overdiagnosis.

Luckily, for many clinical pictures it is known which AED could be the right choice. But the effect per individual patient is hard to predict. The search for the right medication may take a long time. This could be very harmful to children who are still developing. A very innovative project is the study on the chances of the deployment of ‘mini-brains. Blood cells of patients whose epilepsy has a genetic cause are cultured into stem cells that turn into brain cells. With EEG examinations on these brain cells we hope to, in the future, faster find the right medication for every individual patient. An added advantage of this approach is that it places less strain on the patient; he does not have to try the medication himself; this happens in the research laboratory.