A team of UCSF scientists has received a $15 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to study the genetics of epilepsy. The project is known as the Epilepsy Phenome/Genome Project (EPGP).

In their study, the scientists will work to identify the constellation of genes that contribute to the more common types of epilepsy. The long term goal of the project, says Lowenstein, will be to identify potential molecular targets that could be the basis of much more specific and effective treatments for patients who have epilepsy, and the prevention of epilepsy in those at risk.

The researchers will conduct whole genome scans of DNA samples from 3,750 epilepsy patients and 3,000 healthy individuals (controls). Read more from the UCSF.