PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Neuroscientist explores ways to reduce seizures in children

Potassium channel blockers may hold key to inhibit gene-related seizures

2025-06-18
(Press-News.org)

Humans have tens of thousands of genes, many of which produce proteins essential to basic bodily functions. The KCNT1 gene, for example, codes for a protein that maintains normal electrical activity in the brain and helps neurons communicate.

But genes don’t always function perfectly.

For many people, a mutation of the KCNT1 gene causes no symptoms. For others, it can lead to dysfunction of neuronal activity causing learning disabilities, difficulty communicating, and a lifetime of treatment-resistant seizures.

Epileptic disorders caused by mutations in KCNT1 affect an estimated 3,000 children in the United States. Associate Professor Matthew Weston and his team with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC want to bring that number to zero.

With a grant from Actio Biosciences, Weston is testing whether an Actio KCNT1 inhibitor that modulates potassium levels can reduce seizures. If successful, the inhibitor could offer a treatment for an aggressive form of epilepsy that significantly reduces life expectancy.

“The mutations cause abnormal amounts of potassium to flow through the ion channel,” Weston said. “So the idea is: If you give people a blocker that will limit that potassium flow, could you improve the disease?”

The research is in its early stages, but initial results indicate that the KCNT1 inhibitor reduces seizures in mice.

Given favorable pre-clinical data, Weston said the best-case scenario is that “the drug enters clinical trials and works not just to stop seizures, but maybe even improve some of the other symptoms.”

The inhibitor is on track to enter clinical trials, which would allow patients to receive the investigational drug as early as 2026.

Actio Biosciences is a San Diego-based precision medicine company focused on drug development for genetic and rare diseases.

Weston is a scientific advisor to the KCNT1 Epilepsy Foundation, which seeks to advance research that could lead to cures for KCNT1-related epilepsy.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Salk Institute scientist Deepshika Ramanan named Rita Allen Foundation Scholar

2025-06-18
LA JOLLA (June 18, 2025)—Salk Assistant Professor Deepshika Ramanan has been named a Rita Allen Foundation Scholar, a distinction given to early-career leaders in the biomedical sciences whose research holds exceptional promise for revealing new pathways to advance human health. "Shika’s exceptional talent, determination, collaborative spirit, and mentorship skills make her a very deserving recipient of this award,” says Salk President Gerald Joyce. “Her bold approach to important but underappreciated topics in immunology is likely ...

Many species are declining in the Wadden Sea, only a few are thriving

2025-06-18
In a unique collaboration between the University of Groningen and the Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, researchers studied population trends across 3,058 populations of various species throughout the entire Wadden Sea. Twenty-four per cent of the populations showed a significant decline in size, and this trend is occurring simultaneously across various groups. Only fourteen per cent of the populations showed an increase in size. These findings were published in the journal Global Change Biology on June ...

Fallouh Healthcare wins funding to develop device providing early diagnosis of cardiac tamponade

2025-06-18
Birmingham-based Fallouh Healthcare has been awarded a grant of £305,050 from Innovate UK as part of the Eureka Eurostar programme to finalise a prototype of PerDeCT™, working alongside their Austrian partner the Medizinische Universität Wien, which aims to be the first device for monitoring cardiac function and early diagnosis of cardiac tamponade, a life-threatening complication after heart surgery.  Although cardiac surgery is safe, cardiac tamponade can come on quickly – usually after the patient has left theatre, and typically late at night when the patient is in intensive care.  It is caused by the accumulation ...

Can enzymes from fungi be used to extract plant components for biofuels and bioplastics?

2025-06-18
Plant cell wall components such as cellulose are abundant sources of carbohydrates that are widely used in biofuels and bioproducts; however, extraction of these components from plant biomass is relatively difficult due to their complexity. In research in FEBS Open Bio, investigators have found that a combination of fungal enzymes can efficiently degrade plant biomass to allow for extraction. The enzymes are called cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH) and lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase (LPMO). LPMO and CDH operate together to enhance the degradation ...

To what extent are tree species in Mexico and Central America threatened by extinction?

2025-06-18
More than 4,000 tree species are found only in Mexico and Central America, or Mesoamerica. Research published in Plants, People, Planet reveals that nearly half of these tree species are threatened by extinction. As part of the Global Tree Assessment, an initiative to assess the conservation status of the world's tree species, a group of investigators compiled International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List assessments for each species, collating information about species' range, habitat, threats, and conservation actions. They found that 46% of trees ...

How likely are extreme hot weather episodes in today’s UK climate?

2025-06-18
In a study published in Weather, researchers estimated the current chances and characteristics of extreme hot episodes in the UK, and how they have changed over the last 6 decades. The team found that temperatures several degrees above those recorded during the UK’s heatwave in July 2022 are plausible in today’s climate, with a simulated maximum of over 45°C (113°F). The likelihood of 40°C (104°F) is now over 20 times more likely than it was in the 1960s. Moreover, the chance of 40°C will likely ...

Tumor DNA analysis for every child in the Princess Máxima Center

2025-06-18
Readouts of the full DNA of children with cancer at diagnosis have been implemented as the standard of care in a European first. By determining a child's type of cancer as precisely as possible, the Princess Máxima Center for pediatric oncology aims to offer each individual child the treatment most likely to work for them.   To determine the precise form of childhood cancer, the DNA in children’s tumor cells is analyzed at diagnosis. Since May, the Princess Máxima Center has started analyzing all children’s complete tumor DNA as standard of care, using a ...

To encourage scientific thinking, it is better to instruct than to reward

2025-06-18
People are generally very good at detecting cause-effect relationships. This ability helps us understand the world, learn, make decisions, and predict the future. In short, it helps us adapt and survive. In fact, we are so good at spotting causal patterns that sometimes we find connections that don't really exist. As a result, we fall into the so-called causal illusion, i.e., we mistakenly believe that one event causes another, when, in fact, both are unrelated. A typical example occurs in the field of health when we assume that a pseudoscientific treatment is effective (therefore, ...

Sevenfold boost in lifespan of anode-free all-solid-state batteries using MoS₂ thin films

2025-06-18
South Korean researchers have developed a technology that improves the lifespan of next-generation anode-free all-solid-state batteries (AFASSBs) by sevenfold using a cost-effective two-dimensional material. A collaborative team led by Dr. Ki-Seok An and Dr. Dong-Bum Seo of the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), along with Prof. Sangbaek Park’s group at Chungnam National University, successfully enhanced the durability of AFASSBs by applying a molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) sacrificial layer grown via metal–organic chemical vapor deposition ...

Ancient groundwater records reveal regional vulnerabilities to climate change

2025-06-18
Woods Hole, Mass. (June 17, 2025) — During the last ice age, storms soaked the now-arid Southwestern U.S., while today’s rainy Pacific Northwest remained relatively dry. As global temperatures rose and ice sheets retreated, those storms shifted north—reshaping the climate patterns that define both regions today. New research published in Science Advances reveals that groundwater levels responded differently in the two regions during this dramatic shift. While the Pacific Northwest saw little change in water table depth despite increased rainfall, the Southwest experienced significant groundwater loss. The ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Targeted radiation offers promise in patients with metastasized small cell lung cancer to the brain

A high clinically translatable strategy to anti-aging using hyaluronic acid and silk fibroin co-crosslinked hydrogels as dermal regenerative fillers

Mount Sinai researchers uncover differences in how males and females change their mind when reflecting on past mistakes

CTE and normal aging are difficult to distinguish, new study finds

Molecular arms race: How the genome defends itself against internal enemies

Tiny chip speeds up antibody mapping for faster vaccine design

KTU experts reveal why cultural heritage is important for community unity

More misfolded proteins than previously known may contribute to Alzheimer’s and dementia

“Too much going on”: Autistic adults overwhelmed by non-verbal social cues

What’s driving America’s deep freezes in a warming world?

A key role of brain protein in learning and memory is deciphered by scientists

Heart attacks don’t follow a Hollywood script

Erin M. Schuman wins 2026 Nakasone Award for discovery on neural synapse function and change during formation of memories

Global ocean analysis could replace costly in-situ sound speed profiles in seafloor positioning, study finds

Power in numbers: Small group professional coaching reduces rates of physician burnout by nearly 30%

Carbon capture, utilization, and storage: A comprehensive review of CCUS-EOR

New high-temperature stable dispersed particle gel for enhanced profile control in CCUS applications

State gun laws and firearm-related homicides and suicides

Use of tobacco and cannabis following state-level cannabis legalization

Long-term obesity and biological aging in young adults

Eindhoven University of Technology and JMIR Publications announce unlimited open access publishing agreement

Orphan nuclear receptors in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease development

A technological breakthrough for ultra-fast and greener AI

Pusan National University researchers identify key barriers hindering data-driven smart manufacturing adoption

Inking heterometallic nanosheets: A scalable breakthrough for coating, electronics, and electrocatalyst applications

Adults with autism show similar brain mapping of body parts as typically developing adults

Uncovering behavioral clues to childhood maltreatment

Premenstrual symptoms linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease

Newly discovered remains of ancient river landscapes control ice flow in East Antarctica

Newly discovered interstellar object 'may be oldest comet ever seen'

[Press-News.org] Neuroscientist explores ways to reduce seizures in children
Potassium channel blockers may hold key to inhibit gene-related seizures