Epilepsy Research UK was formed following
the merger of the Epilepsy Research Foundation
and the Fund for Epilepsy in April 2007. Epilepsy
Research UK promotes and supports basic and
clinical scientific research into the causes,
treatment and prevention of epilepsy. We are
the only national charity in the UK dedicated
to funding independent research exclusively
into epilepsy.
We support the work of scientists and clinicians
working across the UK, investigating every
aspect of epilepsy in both adults and children.
Our researchers are looking at what causes
epilepsy, who gets it, what goes on in the
brain during a seizure, and safer drugs
and better surgical techniques to treat
it.
Our annual research spend is about £800,000,
which is raised almost wholly through donations
from the public. We fund 4-9 new research
projects every year.
Our funds support individual students and
scientists based in university departments,
medical schools and hospitals across the
country. They allow academic institutions
to invest in much-needed equipment.
We also arrange technical workshops and
scientific meetings to encourage collaboration
between researchers. We work closely with
other epilepsy charities to ensure epilepsy
is recognised in Government health and social
care policy.
Developments in drug therapy and medical
scanning, along with major breakthroughs
in the study of the human genome, mean that
great progress has been made in understanding
the causes of epilepsy in recent years.
These are exciting times in epilepsy research
and Epilepsy Research UK is proud to be
supporting some of the key researchers in
the UK who are pushing forward our knowledge
of epilepsy. Even greater advances will
be made in the coming years and the research
that we fund will be at the forefront of
developments to control, and perhaps even
cure, epilepsy.
