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Despite decades of therapeutic advances, epilepsy remains an area of significant unmet medical need. Many current treatments focus on suppressing seizures rather than altering the underlying disease processes that cause epilepsy to develop and persist. As a result, long term outcomes remain inadequate for a substantial proportion of people living with the condition.
To better understand what must change in epilepsy care, we asked members of our Scientific Advisory Board about the challenges they continue to see in the field.
As leading clinicians, researchers and advocates in their field, each one brings decades of experience, clinical insight, and an unwavering commitment to improving the lives of people with epilepsy.
While their perspectives are shaped by different paths, they point to the same challenge: existing treatment options too often fall short, particularly for people with drug-resistant epilepsy. That’s why epilepsy care must evolve beyond symptom management towards new approaches that change the trajectory of the disease itself.
Dr. Jacqueline French
As Professor of Neurology at NYU Langone Health and Chief Medical and Innovation Officer at the Epilepsy Foundation, Dr. French has spent her career pushing the field forward. She is also the founder of the Epilepsy Study Consortium, which has helped define how early-stage epilepsy trials are conducted worldwide.
“Despite the development of scores of new therapies and surgical approaches over the past few decades, we have unfortunately not moved the needle," she says, pointing to the fact that one-third of people with epilepsy still remain treatment-resistant.
"Clearly we need to try new strategies, so that people with epilepsy can achieve an optimal quality of life,” she adds.
Dr. French explains that until now, most treatments for epilepsy have been anti-seizure medications that manage symptoms rather than the disease itself. She sees an urgent need to move toward therapies that address the underlying cause of epilepsy.
"Only then can we reduce the long-term burden of treatment and ease the constant fear that seizures may return or worsen, even for people who are currently seizure free,” she says.
Dr. Pavel Klein
Dr. Klein is Director of the Mid-Atlantic Epilepsy & Sleep Center and a leading epileptologist whose work has helped shape treatment and prevention strategies for complex epilepsy, including drug-resistant and post-traumatic forms.
“We need new therapies that can stop seizures in people who do not respond to current treatments. Just as importantly, we need to find ways to prevent epilepsy in those at risk," he says, pointing to individuals recovering from head injury or stroke as key examples.
“Neumirna’s animal data is phenomenally promising and suggests this drug could do both,” he adds.
Dr. Manuel Toledo
A leading epileptologist and researcher at Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron in Barcelona, Dr. Toledo has spent more than 20 years treating some of the most complex epilepsy cases in Europe. He is also deeply engaged in improving the mental health and quality of life for people with epilepsy.
“We need solutions that modify the disease and help prevent the serious consequences of drug-resistant epilepsy, such as injury, hospitalizations, or long-term loss of quality of life," he says.
“What excites me about Neumirna is the possibility of a completely new therapeutic approach, one that could reduce seizures and ease emotional weight that patients and their families live with every day.”
