Although epilepsy has been around since biblical times, very little progress has been made in understanding its causes and furthering treatment options. In two-thirds of all people diagnosed with epilepsy, there is no known cause. Furthermore, in over 30% of all cases of epilepsy, the seizures are treatment resistant. For children suffering from epilepsy this is particularly devastating. Every seizure carries a risk of brain damage, developmental delay, and even death. There are numerous epilepsy syndromes of childhood which greatly impact not only the child’s development, but also come with tremendous medical and emotional costs to the entire family. Rock the Block is committed to annually sponsoring a CURE research grant that will further pediatric epilepsy research.

The 2009 Rock the Block for Pediatric Epilepsy grant was awarded to…….

Melanie Tallent, PhD
Drexel University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA

Gordon Lutz, PhD
Drexel University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA

“Directing Glutamate Receptor Alternative Splicing to Treat Epilepsy”
Genes are the blueprint for making proteins in all of the cells in our bodies. The diversity of proteins is far greater than the number of genes, so a single gene can encode multiple proteins with distinct functions through a process called alternative splicing. The regulation of alternative splicing is disrupted in many neurological diseases, including epilepsy. Drs. Lutz and Tallent will focus on rescuing abnormal alternative splicing in the brain as an approach to reduce seizures and prevent epilepsy. They are hopeful that these studies will lead to a new understanding of the mechanisms of epilepsy and new approaches to therapy.