GW4 Epilepsy Community

Project Overview - We aim to improve research models, diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy.

GW4 Epilepsy community members:

Drs James Hodge, Edgar Buhl, Sam Amim, Kasia Sieradzan, Anirban Majumdar, Mike Ashby and Jack Mellor (University of Bristol)

Drs Doretta Caramaschi, Jen Creaser, Benjamin Housden, Jonathan Mill, Krasi Tsaneva-Atanasova, Marc Goodfellow and Peter Ashwin(University of Exeter)

Drs Dmitri Sastin, Khalid Hamandi, Gaynor Smith, Owen Peters and Jiaxiang Zhang (Cardiff University)

Drs Alain Nogaret and Roland Jones (University of Bath)

Drs Silvia Sanchez Marco and Nick Kane (NHS)

Dr John Terry (Neuronostics)

GW4 Epilepsy community background and aims:

We are building a multi-disciplinary cross-GW4 community researching, modelling, diagnosing and treating epilepsy. Epilepsy is the most common primary neurological disorder worldwide, with 10% of people experiencing a seizure during their life and ~1:100 people with epilepsy. Epilepsy causes include inherited mutations in ion channels and receptors. Diagnosis can be by symptoms, electroencephalograms (EEGs), brain imaging, and genotyping. Treatments include anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) and surgery to remove brain seizure foci. AEDs modulate ion channels and receptors to prevent the excessive firing of neurons during seizures. However, many epilepsies are drug-refractory due to a lack of effective drugs. Our research aims to understand better the role of ion channels and receptors in epilepsy helping the development of better AEDs. Our community aims to address the lack of fundamental understanding of epilepsies, improve (epi)/genetic diagnosis, animal, cell and computational epilepsy models facilitating testing of better targets, screening for novel genetic and drug therapies facilitating the development of better devices for diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy.

We thank GW4 for support in generating this community https://gw4.ac.uk/funding-development/

GW4 Epilepsy community building network meeting

Tuesday 30/04/2024, 14:00-18:00

In D23, Biomedical Sciences Building

Refreshments and Welcome by James

2-220pm Dr Mike Carter (NHS, Bristol) “Human epileptic patient studies”

2.20-240pm Dr Mike Ashby (PPN, University of Bristol) “Mouse models of epilepsy”

240-3pm Dr Sam Amin (NHS Bristol and PPN, University of Bristol) “TSc2, CASK, CDKL2 and RNA sequencing projects”

3-320pm Dr Doretta Caramaschi (Psychology, University of Exeter) “ALSPAC seizure data and CACNA1C”

320-325pm Josh and Ed from Hurulabs “A new Bristol based SME developing EEG for research and the clinic”

325-340pm Tea and coffee

340-4pm Sophie Smith, Dr Edgar Buhl and Prof James Hodge (PPN, UoB) “Fly and cell-based models for screening ion channel function in epilepsy”

4-420pm Professor Kathreena Kurian (NHS Bristol) “Brain tumours, epilepsy and tissue diagnosis”

420-440pm Dr James Armstrong (DHB, UoB) “Brain organoids and engineered neural tissues”

440-5pm Dr Óscar Cordero Llana (DHB, UoB) “iPSC and Stem cell technologies”

5-505pm Sophie Muir (www.timothysyndrome.org)

505-510pm Laura Hattersley (https://caskresearch.org/)

510pm-Refreshments

GW4 Epilepsy Meeting 2

Monday 21/11/22

D23 School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences building, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TD

210-225 pm Dr Sam Amin, Lead Consultant Paediatric Neurologist and National Lead Rare Disease Collaborative Network CDKL5 “TBC” and Dr Mike Ashby update on Ethics

225-250 pm Dr Benjamin Housden “Developing Drosophila cells as a model for epilepsy research”

250-305 pm, Sophie Muir, mother of Calvin who has Timothy Syndrome and Chair of Timothy Syndrome Alliance (https://timothysyndrome.org/) and the Voltage gated Calcium Channel Collective

305-320 pm Dr Edgar Buhl “Recording seizure activity in adult flies”

320-345 pm Prof Alain Nogaret "Inferring the precise changes in ion channel properties from changes in neuronal excitability: a quantitative tool for understanding the effects of mutations in neurological disease"

345-350 pm Prof Peter Ashwin “Computational modelling of excitable networks”

350-405 pm Coffee, Soft drinks and Tea and Pastries

405-5 pm Prof Richard Baines “Targeting Neuronal Homeostasis to Treat Epilepsy”

5-520 pm Dr Doretta Caramaschi 'Insight on epilepsy from genetic and epigenetic human data'

520-535 pm Drs Silvia Sanchez-Marco and Anir Majumdar “ADD3, ACO2 and VARS – Human genetic conditions where Drosophila has given us mechanistic insights.”

535-545 pm Prof Vincenzo Crunelli “GABA levels in children with absence seizures”

545-605 pm Aaron Merry “My Epilepsy Journey” (https://www.myepilepsyjourney.uk/)

605-615 pm Prof James Hodge “Final comments and future directions of Network”

615-7 pm Pizza, snacks, alcoholic and soft drinks

GW4 Epilepsy Meeting 1 Tuesday 24/5/22

Aims 1, Aims Seminar Centre,

School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience

University of Bristol

Biomedical Sciences building

University Walk

Bristol

BS8 1TD

(9.50-10am) welcome and Introduction from Prof James Hodge

Clinicians

10:00am: Dr Dmitri Sastin (ECR lead)

10.10am: Dr Anirban Majumdar

10.20am: Dr Sam Amim

10.30am: Dr Kasia Sieradzan

10.40am: Dr Nick Kane

Molecular and animal models

11.10am: Dr Jonathan Mill

11.20am: Dr Owen Peters

11.30am: Dr Benjamin Housden

11.40am: Dr Gaynor Smith

11.50am: Prof James Hodge

noon: Dr Doretta Caramaschi

11.50-12.10pm: Coffee

Electrophysiology, EEG and imaging

12.10pm: Dr Edgar Buhl (ECR lead)

12.20pm: Dr Mike Ashby

12:30pm: Dr Jack Mellor

Maths and Computational modelling

12.40pm: Dr Alain Nogaret (Lead)

12:50pm: Dr Jen Creaser (ECR lead)

Please email james.hodge@bristol.ac.uk if you would like to get involved or attend the next meeting in March 2023.

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