Following the recent announcement that Epilepsy Ireland has surpassed the €2 million mark in total research investment, we are delighted to share further positive news for epilepsy research in Ireland.
The Health Research Board's (HRB) Investigator-Led Projects (ILP) 2026 scheme has recently announced funding for three exciting epilepsy-related research projects.
All three projects are being led by researchers well known to Epilepsy Ireland through previous collaborations and research funding initiatives. We are particularly pleased that Epilepsy Ireland is a named project partner on one of the newly funded studies, EPI-CLOCK, led by Dr Cristina Reschke, who also recently received support through our latest research funding call. The other projects are being led by Professor Tobias Engel and Dr Gary Brennan.
You can find a brief overview of each project below:
EPI-CLOCK: Understanding Seizures, Sleep and the Body's Clock
Research suggests that up to 90% of people experience seizures at specific times of the day, but the reasons for this are not fully understood. Led by Dr Cristina Reschke at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, this project will investigate how the body's biological clock influences seizure timing and sleep disruption in adults with drug-resistant epilepsy.
Using wearable sensors, EEG recordings, seizure diaries and biological samples, the research team will investigate how daily rhythms, sleep patterns and seizure activity interact. The goal is to identify biological patterns that could help predict when seizures are most likely to occur and support more personalised treatment approaches, known as chronotherapy.
This project complements Dr Reschke's Epilepsy Ireland-funded DS-combine study, as well as the Episleep project, which Epilepsy Ireland is also supporting. As a named project partner on EPI-CLOCK, we look forward to working closely with the research team and sharing updates as the project progresses.
New Approaches to Epilepsy Treatment
A second HRB-funded project, led by Professor Tobias Engel at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, will investigate whether targeting a protein involved in brain inflammation, known as P2X7R, could lead to new treatment approaches for epilepsy. By focusing on the brain's immune cells, known as microglia, the research aims to reduce harmful inflammation and control seizures more precisely while minimising side effects.
The third project, led by Dr Gary Brennan at University College Dublin, focuses on CHD2 developmental epileptic encephalopathy (CHD2-DEE), a rare and severe childhood epilepsy. This project will use patient-derived "mini brains" to investigate whether blocking a molecule called microRNA-134 could help correct abnormal brain activity. The team will also study blood samples to improve understanding and diagnosis of the condition. Dr. Brennan was also previously funded by Epilepsy Ireland under the HRB-HRCI Joint funding scheme.
Further information on each of these projects can be found by visiting the FutureNeuro website.
We would like to extend our sincere congratulations to Dr Cristina Reschke, Professor Tobias Engel, Dr Gary Brennan and all their collaborators on securing these funding awards. These projects highlight the strength of Ireland's epilepsy research community and, importantly, have the potential to improve understanding, treatment and outcomes for people living with epilepsy in the years ahead.
To learn more about the three epilepsy research projects recently funded by Epilepsy Ireland, visit the ‘News’ section of our website. You can also explore our current research investments and wider research activities by visiting the ‘Research’ section of our website.
As always, if you need support or information relating to your own epilepsy journey, or that of a family member, please do not hesitate to contact your local Community Resource Officer. Their contact details can be found by visiting the ‘Our Local Services’ page of our website.