The Epilepsy Therapy Project was founded in 2002 by 3 parents of children with epilepsy, and its mission is to accelerate ideas into therapies for people living with epilepsy and seizures.  About 1% of the population suffers from epilepsy and about 40% of that population cannot control their seizures with existing treatments.  Many others suffer from significant side effects with the drugs they are taking to control their seizures.  ETP is addressing the funding gap that exists between the development of promising ideas in the laboratory and the funding of clinical trials of successful therapies.  ETP provides not only financial assistance for researchers and startups with possible new treatments for epilepsy but, with the able assistance of its Scientific Advisory Board and Business Advisory Board, provides scientific and business advice to those organizations as well.

I was Executive Director of ETP for almost 3 years and am now on its Board of Directors.  I have an uncle who suffers from epilepsy, and the “cone of silence” that surrounds people suffering from epilepsy and their families makes the disease even more hurtful.

In today’s regulatory environment, it has become increasingly difficult to have any new therapies approved for any disease.  It is all the more important for organizations such as ETP to champion the continuing research for new and better treatments for those suffering from this debilitating disease.  See www.epilepsy.com and www.epilepsytherapyproject.org for more information.