European Epileptology Award 2022

Meir Bialer

Professor Meir Bialer (1948), PhD, MBA, is a David H. Eisenberg Emeritus Professor (active) of Professor of Pharmacy at the School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Meir Bialer was born in Petach Tikva, Israel in 30/1/1948, to a Jewish family. He completed his service in the Israeli Army in 1971-1973. He received his B.Sc.Pharm. "with distinction" in 1969, M.Sc. "with distinction" in Medicinal Chemistry in 1971,MBA in 1976  and Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry in 1977 all from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel.  

 Dr. Bialer’s research interests include: a) Pharmacokinetics of new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and pharmacokinetic-based design of new antiepileptics and CNS drugs. In this regard he has been utilizing structure pharmacokinetic pharmacodynamic relationship (SPPR) studies to deign and develop new CNS drugs with better potency, lack of teratogenicity and a wide safety margin; b) Pharmacokinetic analysis of new drugs, sustained release dosage forms and novel drug delivery systems (DDS); c) Stereospecific pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic analysis of chiral drugs; d) Pharmacogenetics of CNS drugs; and e) Pharmacoresistance to AEDs. In these areas, he has 262 peer reviewed publications and is an author of 16 book chapters. Since 1981 he has supervised 22 MSc students and 31 PhD students. 

He is co-founder of the sixteen Eilat Conferences on New Antiepileptic Drugs (every two years since 1992), nine Eilat International Educational Conferences on the Pharmacological Treatment of Epilepsy (every two years since 2005) and the four Jerusalem Conferences on Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Pharmacology (1988-1999). The Eilat conferences have become an iconic feature of the epilepsy calendar.  

On the ILAE and European epilepsy movement, Professor Bialer was the Treasurer (2001-2009) and subsequently Chair of the Commission of European Affairs (2009-2017);  former president of the Israeli League Against Epilepsy and Co-Chair of the Scientific/Organizing Committees of six European Congresses on Epileptology (ECE 2008-2018).