Epilepsy is a common disease
since approximately 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy according to the . It has been estimated
that more than 4,000 patients live with epilepsy in the Maltese Islands.
The disease causes severe health consequences and stigma, including interference with school and employment, loss of independence, social isolation, increased risk of injury, depression, and suicide.
Noteworthy, sudden unexpected death in epilepsy is the leading cause of mortality in people that are not rendered seizure free by available medications. More than 30% of patients are resistant to pharmacological treatments. Resective surgery is the most common surgery used to treat epilepsy where the surgeon removes a small portion of the brain where seizures occur.
Neurosurgical treatment of epilepsy is often precluded by the unacceptable risk of damaging neighbouring or overlapping brain areas responsible for language, sensation, movement and other crucial brain functions. Therefore, the identification of more effective drugs to prevent the above mentioned life-threatening condition is urgently needed.
Thanks to the Malta Council of Science & Technology that under the FUSION program promoted this project, a team of scientists coordinated by Professor Mauro Pessia from the University of Malta is working around the clock to achieve the goal of discovering whether existing drugs that are already available in pharmacies could be used to treat epilepsy.
This innovative strategy reduces the transition of bench work to treatment at bedside, allowing the prescription of a much safer drug to patients and more rapidly.
On Thursday 2 September 2021, Malta’s Minister for Research, Innovation and post-COVID-19 Strategy, Hon. Owen Bonnici visited the University’s Msida Campus to see the ongoing work on this project.
“This kind of research fills us with hope as it aims to concretely ameliorate the quality of life of those who are constantly being held back by their neurological or movement disorders. This is a clear demonstration of how everyone can benefit from recognising research and innovation as major pillars for our country's future", the minister said.
Minister Bonnici thanked Omnigene Medical Technology, a Maltese prestigious biotech company, for its remarkable contribution to the successful accomplishment of this project, and the Malta Council for Science and Technology for making this research project possible through their FUSION programme.
Prof. Godfrey Grech, who is a member of the team of renowned scientists working on this project, with the others being Prof. Mauro Pessia, Professor Mario Valentino, , Dr Francis Delicata and Dr Lorena Coretti, showed Hon. Bonnici the cutting-edge technologies available at the Department of Physiology & Biochemistry, and said that “we expect a relevant number of patients in Malta and worldwide to benefit from the achievement of our research project”.
