Closed-loop precision therapy for epilepsy using photopharmacology

Thirty percent of patients with epilepsy keep having seizures despite medical treatment. Because anti-epileptic medication affects almost the entire nervous system, there are often many serious side effects. This interdisciplinary project aims to combine standard drug therapy with state-of-the-art technology to precisely treat areas of the brain involved in the epilepsy. This is enabled through an ongoing collaboration with medicinal chemists focusing on the development of medication which can be locally activated with light. Additionally, through a collaboration with an engineering research group specialized in analysis of brain signals, an algorithm will be developed for fast and automatic detection of seizure onset, using artificial intelligence. Combining these techniques, it will be possible to only treat brain areas involved in the generation of epileptic seizures and only when seizures develop. This very promising novel therapy will be tested in an animal model for epilepsy through a collaboration with a research group specialized in epilepsy. The project has the potential to develop completely novel therapeutic approaches for epilepsy, which only treat the epilepsy WHERE and WHEN needed. In this way, side effects are avoided and the overall quality of life of epilepsy patients is strongly increased.