We focus on taking drugs or clinical compounds that were created for other indications and repositioning them for use in epilepsy. Several of the  current AEDs have been found in this way (eg. the benzodiazapines).

There are logistical problems with repurposing drugs. A big hurdle is that the drug is owned by a company that might not have the expertise to pursue epilepsy as an indication. In that situation, there are several possible paths forward, including:

1. Convincing the company that refractory epilepsy is a viable indication
2. Out-licensing the drug to another company that is willing to pursue it for use in epilepsy.
3. Collaborating with an academic clinical group to test the drug

In general, these paths are not viable without internal advocates for epilepsy that can champion the drug from within the company. Often, the internal advocate will need support from people with different areas of expertise. Therefore, we are striving to identify people with a large variety of areas of expertise that would be able to provide the support needed to push a drug repurposing effort forward.

We are a group of people with experience in the discovery and development of new drugs and have a strong desire to identify new AEDs. The network includes individuals in academia, government, the pharmaceutical industry, non-profit epilepsy research foundations, patient advocacy groups, entrepreneurs, venture capital, etc.

Network Members

We are a group of people with experience in the discovery and development of new drugs and have a strong desire to identify new AEDs. The network includes individuals in academia, government, the pharmaceutical industry, non-profit epilepsy research foundations, patient advocacy groups, entrepreneurs, venture capital, etc.

Leadership team

Advisory board