| The Epilepsy Phenome/Genome Project (EPGP) is the largest research study ever created to understand how genetics influences epilepsy. Researchers from 13 major epilepsy centers around the United States will collect blood samples and detailed seizure histories on a group of people with specific types of epilepsy. This information will be used to identify genes that contribute to a person developing epilepsy and the response to seizure medications. The hope is that this information will reveal new insights and improve diagnosis and treatment, and answer the troubling questions described above.
Orrin Devinsky, MD, Professor of Neurology at the NYU School of Medicine, views EPGP as "the opportunity of our generation to revolutionize epilepsy care. It could allow us to match safety and effectiveness of a drug to a specific person, focus research on new therapeutic targets, and crack the code on the causes of common forms of epilepsy." He added, "we need siblings with epilepsy to answer these questions."
Dr. Daniel Lowenstein, Professor and Vice-Chairman of the UCSF Department of Neurology and a Principal Investigator on the study said, "Our dream is that, in the not-too-distant future, we will be able to do a gene profile before we ever make a decision about which drug to use on a patient." This information would help guide doctors in choosing medications that are more effective and cause fewer, if any, side effects for specific patients.
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