Graduate student receives grant for epilepsy research

Antis George is a graduate student at the Cumming School of Medicine, currently working in the lab of Cam Teskey, PhD, co-leader of the Epilepsy NeuroTeam at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute.  His research is aimed at investigating the pathophysiology of sudden, unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) with an emphasis on the role of seizure-induced constriction of blood vessels in vital brain areas.

In May 2017, Antis was awarded a research grant by SUDEP Aware, an organization dedicated to reducing death in epilepsy through supporting research and raising awareness. 

He talks about what the grant means for him. 

What was your reaction when you received notification of the grant?

I was ecstatic. I felt honoured my research was deserving of funding, and a large organization like SUDEP Aware saw merit in my work, which has the potential to not only change lives, but save lives as well.  What makes receiving the grant more exciting is I am the first student they have ever funded.  Generally they fund organization's conducting SUDEP research.  

How will this help your research?

With this funding, I can carry out critical experiments to explore medications that could potentially extend life and prevent SUDEP.   

Why is this grant important?

This grant is important for two reasons: On the one hand, it is important to have the support of a SUDEP organization back my research.  SUDEP Aware, in the epilepsy/SUDEP community is a well-known organization with collaborations both in Canada and internationally, so their support gives my research credibility and allows me to present my findings at conferences and publish what I have learned.

Secondly, the funds ensure I have the necessary resources available to me to carry out my research unencumbered.  There are only a few labs in Canada who carry out SUDEP research. This grant will allow me to further our understanding of SUDEP and potentially uncover treatments which can prevent SUDEP in persons with epilepsy.  By uncovering these treatments, I hope to also find the underlying mechanism of SUDEP. 

What are the next steps for you and your research?

There will be preliminary studies done over the next few months.  In October, I will present findings to date at the Canadian League Against Epilepsy (CLAE) meeting.  A Scientific Progress Report will be submitted to funding agencies, as well as a lay report provided to families and interested stakeholders.   By May of next year, I will submit a final Scientific Report to funding agencies to appraise the agency on the study, results, implications and future directions. 
 

Antis George is working towards his MSc at the Cumming School of Medicine, with expected completion in 2019.  He joined the Teskey neural plasticity lab in January 2017.  

SUDEP Aware is a charity committed to preventing Sudden, Unexpected Death in EPilepsy (SUDEP) through raising awareness, improving understanding, helping families and supporting research.