We are excited to announce a new partnership with Eisai Ltd., a leading global research-based pharmaceutical company to gain a better understanding of medication dosage levels for people with epilepsy.

The study was developed, and will be led by Professor Mark Cunningham, Ellen Mayston Bates Professor of Neurophysiology of Epilepsy at Trinity College Dublin, who has recently joined FutureNeuro as a funded investigator.

Prof. Cunningham is an internationally recognised expert in electrophysiology, the study of the electrical properties of brain cells and tissues. He brings a wealth of experience from both academic and industrial arenas working in both Ireland and the UK to FutureNeuro and will investigate how the neurophysiology of brainwaves associated with cognition and sleep are impacted by drug treatments commonly used to treat people with epilepsy.

Professor Mark Cunningham

FutureNeuro Funded Investigator and Ellen Mayston Bates Professor of Neurophysiology of Epilepsy at Trinity College Dublin

“The side effects of anti-seizure medications can have a significant impact on the quality of life of people with epilepsy. Electrophysiology can be considered the ‘gold standard’ in terms of testing how brain cells, their connections and the networks they form behave and I am delighted to be bringing my expertise in this area to this project with Eisai and to FutureNeuro.”

Eisai is a global leading research-based pharmaceutical company working in the neurology and oncology therapeutic areas. They have provided support to FutureNeuro in the format of an unrestricted grant for this project and are well established in developing therapeutic solutions for treating epilepsy and are committed to accelerating future development in these vital therapy areas.

“Neurology, including epilepsy, is a therapeutic area of focus at Eisai. We are always in continued pursuit of our mission to provide ‘seizure freedom’ to a greater number of people living with epilepsy. Supporting people with epilepsy, their families and carers by addressing their diverse needs, we aim to help them live a normal life beyond seizure control alone.”

Clodagh Beckham

Senior Medical Affairs Manager, Eisai UK & Ireland

The study will take 2 years and will support a PhD student who will be jointly supervised by Prof. Cunningham and Prof. Norman Delanty, FutureNeuro funded investigator and Consultant Neurologist in Beaumont Hospital.