Gene Therapy For Epilepsy

(CTN News) – Scientists at UCL have announced a new way to treat epilepsy using gene therapy. An epileptic seizure occurs when brain neurons fire abnormal salvoes of nerve impulses.

As a result, normal brain activity is disrupted and in some cases unconsciousness is caused. A drug that dampens the activity can prevent fits, but it can make users sleepy and make them unable to concentrate. Dmitri Kullmann proposes adding DNA to nerve cells in the brain where seizures originate.

Nerve cells that show electrical features of a fit are detected by this gene, which then slows nerve activity in just those cells. As a result, the treatment is only active when needed…

The overactivity of brain cells is associated with a lot of neurological diseases. Epilepsy is one of them. It’s a manifestation of excessive firing of nerve cells when people have seizures.

We’re trying to manipulate the genetic makeup of brain cells using gene therapy. Some of those viruses can now be targeted to specific areas of the brain where seizures occur.

The problem is, when you do that, you treat both Therapy brain cells that are participating in seizures as well as bystander brain cells. Our on-demand gene therapy aims to solve this problem.

Chris – Tell us how it works. Epilepsy triggers and how it’s controlled.

Dmitri – Brain cells can be made less excitable. Cells fire because of electrically charged ions, which move across the membrane carrying a charge. We know what proteins are responsible for that.

The normal inhibition of neurons can simply be increased by expressing these proteins. What we wanted to do was refine it so that only the neurons that need to be treated are treated.

This is only for as long as they need to be treated. Treatments could be discontinued if they are no longer necessary.

It’s like a supermarket sprinkler system. You turn on the sprinklers only if you need to dampen down the fire when the alarm sounds off.

Dmitri – Of course. A protein that permanently reduces neurons’ excitability is like having the hose on all the time. Incorporating receptor would be another strategy.

Proteins respond to drugs. We could then switch on this Therapy receptor by giving the drug and reduce the excitability of those brain cells.

What are the 6 types of therapy?

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