Rome, 29 July 2024 - Angelini Pharma, part of the multi-business Angelini Industries Group, and the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research IRCCS announce a new research collaboration aimed at identifying new molecular targets in the onset and progression phases of epilepsy.

Epilepsy affects more than 70 million people worldwide and represents one of the most common, severe, chronic, and debilitating neurological conditions globally. It occurs in people of all ages and has numerous neurobiological, cognitive, and psychosocial consequences. Additionally, about 30% of people with epilepsy experience seizures that are not controlled by available anti-seizure medications (Loscher et al, 2020), increasing the need for new therapies to alleviate the burden of the disease, which impacts all aspects of their lives, with far-reaching effects on physical and mental health, educational and employment opportunities, and other factors related to quality of life, such as social relationships. In particular, “Understanding the mechanisms driving the trajectory of the disease would enable timely therapeutic interventions for disease management and improve the quality of life for patients,” said Dr. Annamaria Vezzani, Head of the Laboratory of Epilepsy and Therapeutic Strategies - Department of Acute Brain and Cardiovascular Damage, Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research IRCCS and Principal Investigator.

"Despite significant progress in epilepsy research and therapy, the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of this pathology remains limited. We are pleased to initiate this collaboration with Dr. Annamaria Vezzani’s team. Together, we will explore new molecular pathways and combine our expertise to develop new treatments for patients with epilepsy,” said Rafal Kaminski, Chief Scientific Officer of Angelini Pharma.