Publications

Dig deeper into the science to discover if our expertise can help you with your project. We've published extensively on small molecule and gene therapy-based therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases and neuronal hyperexcitability.

Clinical Failure Validates a Fifth Predictive Preclinical Antiseizure Medicine Discovery Model

No abstract

Published: July 03, 2026

Second-Generation of Deuterium-Substituted Glutamate Uptake Enhancers Exhibit Superior Drug-Like Properties in Preclinical Evaluation

Strategic deuterium-hydrogen exchange applied to the first-in-class positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of the glutamate transporter EAAT2/GLT-1, ( R )-AS-1 and ( R )-AS-7, yielded novel analogues with improved drug-like properties. Specifically, incorporation of deuterium into the pyrrolidine-2,5-dione ring significantly prolonged the elimination half-life and increased both plasma and brain exposure in mice. These enhancements translated into more sustained antiseizure activity and a more...

Published: June 29, 2026

Microglia on Leave: PLX5622 Reveals Immune Neuronal Crosstalk in Epilepsy and Behavioral Comorbidities

No abstract

Published: March 09, 2026

Benchmarks to Breakthroughs: How the 2007 Epilepsy Research Benchmarks Reframed Scientific and Clinical Trajectories of 21st-Century Epilepsy Care

No abstract

Published: February 19, 2026

Characterization of the Formation of the Acyl Glucuronide Metabolite of 7-Carboxy-Cannabidiol in Human Liver, Kidney, and Intestinal Microsomes and <em>in Vivo</em> in Mice

Acyl glucuronides are common metabolites of carboxylic acids. They can be reactive and cause adverse events. The acyl glucuronide metabolite of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is abundant in humans after THC consumption but acyl glucuronide formation from the cannabidiol (CBD) metabolite 7-carboxy-cannabidiol (7-COOH-CBD) has not been previously described. Here, we identified and characterized both acyl and phenolic glucuronides of 7-COOH-CBD formed in human liver, kidney, and intestinal...

Published: February 16, 2026

Atrophin-1 antisense oligonucleotide provides robust protection from pathology in a fully humanized DRPLA model

Dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease arising from a CAG repeat expansion in the atrophin-1 (ATN1) gene. Because DRPLA, like many repeat expansion disorders (REDs), arises predominantly from toxic gain-of-function mechanisms, we hypothesized that ATN1 knockdown would have therapeutic potential. To test this, we established the first fully humanized mouse model of a RED, in which one allele of mouse Atn1 is completely replaced by human ATN1, including...

Published: February 02, 2026

Loss of presenilin 2 function age-dependently increases susceptibility to kainate-induced acute seizures and blunts hippocampal kainate-type glutamate receptor expression

Presenilin 2 (PSEN2) variants increase risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and unprovoked seizures. Yet, age-related PSEN2 contributions to seizure susceptibility are understudied. Critically, PSEN proteolytic capacity may regulate hippocampal kainate-type glutamate receptor (KAR) availability. Kainic acid (KA) is a KAR agonist that evokes severe seizures in mice. We hypothesized that PSEN2 knockout (KO) mice would show reduced latency to KA-induced seizures, increased seizure burden, worsened...

Published: December 11, 2025

Preclinical common data elements: a practical guide for use in epilepsy research

Although advancements in epilepsy research have yielded new insights into pathophysiology and therapeutic targets, there is an ongoing need for new treatments to combat ongoing pharmacoresistance or offer disease-modifying effects. Variation between preclinical epilepsy research laboratories in methods of data capture, endpoint characterization, and experimental procedures may represent a significant challenge to finding consensus for new information important to the field. Harmonization of data...

Published: October 09, 2025

Loss of presenilin 2 function age-dependently increases susceptibility to kainate-induced acute seizures and blunts hippocampal kainate-type glutamate receptor expression

Presenilin 2 (PSEN2) gene variants increase the risk of early-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD patients with PSEN2 variants have increased risk of unprovoked seizures versus age-matched healthy controls, yet few studies have interrogated PSEN2 contributions to seizures, and fewer have done so with aging. PSEN2 variant mice also do not exhibit amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation, allowing for the assessment of Aβ-independent contributions to seizure risk in AD. Critically, PSEN proteolytic capacity may...

Published: September 18, 2025

PAC-FOS: A novel translational concordance framework identifies preclinical seizure models with highest predictive validity for clinical focal onset seizures

OBJECTIVE: Central to the development of novel antiseizure medications (ASMs) is testing of antiseizure activity in preclinical models. Although various well-established models exist, their predictive validity across the spectrum of clinical epilepsies has been less clear. We sought to establish the translational concordance of commonly used preclinical models to define models with the highest predictive clinical validity for focal onset seizures (FOS).

Published: August 06, 2025

Repeated Administration of Pharmaceutical-Grade Medium-Chain Triglycerides, a Common Pharmacologic Excipient, Confers Dose-Dependent Toxicity by the Intraperitoneal but Not Oral Route in Mice

Pharmaceutical-grade medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) are common excipients for in vivo pharmacological studies in laboratory animals and as an experimental therapeutic in certain metabolic and neurologic disorders. In this study, we examined the tolerability of repeated administration of a pharmaceutical-grade formulation of 3 MCTs-caprylic, capric, and lauric acid-in mice via the oral and intraperitoneal routes. We administered either 8 or 4 µL of 100% MCTs or saline/gram of body weight...

Published: July 19, 2025

Acute dose-related effect of antiseizure medications on open field exploration of male rats with established epilepsy

Antiseizure medications (ASMs) cause both acute and chronic behavioral side effects in individuals with epilepsy. While clinical and preclinical studies often focus on chronic effects, the acute dose-related impact of ASMs on behavior is underreported, especially in rodent temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) models. Investigating the acute effects of both therapeutic and behaviorally impairing doses may predict clinically relevant adverse effects, such as sedation, hyperactivity, and impaired...

Published: July 09, 2025

Alzheimer's disease-associated genotypes differentially influence chronic evoked seizure outcomes and antiseizure medicine efficacy in aged mice

BackgroundAlzheimer's disease (AD) patients are at greater risk of focal seizures than similarly aged adults, which may accelerate cognitive decline. Older people with epilepsy generally respond well to antiseizure medications (ASMs). However, whether specific ASMs can differentially control seizures in AD is unknown. The corneal kindled model of chronic seizures allows for precisely timed drug administration studies to expediently evaluate efficacy and tolerability of investigational treatments...

Published: June 03, 2025

Fyn-ding Novel Therapeutic Targets for Temporal Lobe Epilepsy-Unlikely Partners at the Hippocampal Synapse

No abstract

Published: May 05, 2025

Intestinal dysbiosis alters acute seizure burden and antiseizure medicine activity in Theiler's virus model of encephalitis

OBJECTIVE: Brain infection with Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) in C57BL/6J mice produces an etiologically relevant model of acquired seizures. Dietary changes can modify seizure presentation following TMEV brain infection and influence intestinal microbiome diversity and composition. Intestinal dysbiosis may thus similarly affect seizure burden and antiseizure medicine (ASM) activity in this model, independent of pharmacokinetic effects. We thus sought to define the influence of...

Published: March 28, 2025