About
Epilepsy is a serious and common neurological condition and affects over 50 million people worldwide. Epilepsy is a global health priority as the burden of the disease is far greater than just the seizures and includes psychiatric co-morbidity, quality of life, loss of productivity and increased risk of death. Epilepsy is a heterogenous disorder with many causes, and the challenge lies in the fact that more than 30% of epilepsy patients are resistant to anti-seizure medications. Current anti-seizure medications do not treat the cause.
Research plays a vital role to improve outcomes for epilepsy patients. The two most common questions patients ask their neurologist is “What is the cause of my epilepsy” and “How can my epilepsy be treated?”
Our research interests include the specific role of hormones play in women with epilepsy and precision-based treatment. A better understanding of the cause for an individual patient will underpin the era of more personalised treatments to improve outcomes for this debilitating disorder.
Associate Professor Lata Vadlamudi is a Principal Research Fellow, Brain, Neurology and Mental Health Theme Leader and leads our Epilepsy Research Program at the University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR). She is a Senior Staff Specialist in Neurology and Epileptologist within the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.
She is a clinician-scientist and recipient of a Metro North Clinician Research Fellowship. This, coupled with her expertise as a neurologist in clinical practice, provides her with unique insights into patient care and the skills to develop and implement the vital research required to improve epilepsy care.
Banner image: Fluorescence images from Day 97 old cortical organoids - GAD67 (GAD1 gene) in red and DAPI (nuclei) in blue. Courtesy of Dr Selin Pars.
We are grateful that this research has been generously enabled by competitive research grants including Medical Research Future Fund Stem Cells Mission, Brain Foundation, Metro North Hospital and Health Services Clinician Research Fellowship, Queensland Genomics, University of Queensland Mayne Bequest Funding, Queensland Health Research Fellowship, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Research Project Grants, Viertel Charitable Foundation Establishment Grant, Ramaciotti Establishment Grant and RACP Servier Barry Young Fellowship in Neurology.
We wish to thank all those who have been so generous and supported this vital epilepsy research, to improve the lives of epilepsy patients.
For information on how you can help further this research, please contact med.advancement@uq.edu.au.