Emory University recently received more than 150 awards totaling more than $53 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus-funding from several different institutes within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These awards will support meritorious research projects, administrative supplements for ongoing projects, faculty recruitment, training programs, student research experiences and the creation of new jobs. Detailed below is one of the research projects supported by ARRA funds.

Dr. Andrew Escayg

A sizable fraction of patients suffering from epilepsy, and most patients with Dravet Syndrome, cannot control their seizures with drugs. Research in animals shows that shutting off a gene called SCN8A can raise the threshold of excitability for neurons, thus lowering susceptibility to seizures.

Scientists plan to test a gene-therapy-like technique for shutting off SCN8A in mice, with an eye toward developing similar treatments for humans. Dr. Andrew Escayg of Emory University explains the science behind a new study funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Genetics Based Research on Treatment-Resistant Epilepsy video

This video clip is courtesy of Emory University. Reposted with permission.