Drug-resistant epilepsy in the 21st century: From molecular mechanisms to precision therapies

EPNS Pre-Congress Symposium

Panorama Hall, Prague Congress Centre in Prague, Czech Republic

20 June 2023

Dear members and friends of the European Paediatric Neurology Society, colleagues and distinguished guests,

It is with great pleasure that we invite you to the EPNS Pre-Congress Symposium entitled “Drug-resistant epilepsy in the 21st century: From molecular mechanisms to precision therapies” which will take place on Tuesday, 20 June 2023 in Prague, Czech Republic.

This exciting and unique one-day meeting will introduce and discuss in detail all the major developments including current clinical indications for Drug-resistant epilepsy in the 21st century. A broad faculty of international experts will bring you up-to-date with the history, practice and future developments in the rapidly developing field of drug-resistant epilepsy.

The concept of drug-resistant epilepsy is in motion. What started as a simple definition of medically intractable seizure disorder has morphed into a mosaic of conditions with various ages at onset, clinical presentations, genetic etiologies and increasingly of therapeutic options.

Drug-resistant epilepsy is no more a single disorder but a multitude thereof. The originally clear-cut boundaries between “genetic” and “structural” epilepsy dissolve and re-organize themselves around specific genes and genetic variants that participate in the formation of structural and functional abnormalities of brain cortex.

The symposium preceding EPNS Congress 2023 in Prague will guide you through the complex phenotypes and clinical presentations of patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. You will see how patient-derived genomic and phenotypic data contribute to the formation of relevant pre-clinical models that enable us to analyze the pathophysiological mechanisms of drug-resistant epilepsy. Through the improved understanding of epilepsy pathogenesis we will introduce novel approaches to the individualized targeted therapy of drug-resistant epilepsy and the new vistas for patient care and management.

This symposium is suitable for neurologists, paediatric neurologists, epileptologists, neuophysiologists, neuroscientists, radiologists, neurosurgeons, allied health professionals, medical and allied health students.

I will be delighted to welcome you in Prague!

Pavel Kršek & Epilepsy Research Centre (EpiReC) Prague

Faculty

Eleonora Aronica (Netherlands)
Alexis Arzimanoglou (France)
Nadja Bahi-Buisson (France)
Kees Braun (Netherlands)
Helen Cross (United Kingdom)
Přemysl Jiruška (Czech Republic)
Katja Kobow (Germany)

Gabriele Lignani (United Kingdom)
Jeffrey L. Noebels (United States of America)
Ondřej Novák (Czech Republic)
Helena Pivoňková (Czech Republic)
Robrecht Raedt (Belgium)
Jo Wilmshurst (South Africa)
Christian Wolff (Germany)