Sunday, December 21, 2025 12/21/2025

Optimized Anti-Epileptic Screening Using Drosophila Models

Award Number: R61NS134960
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 01/21/2025
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 12/31/2026

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Optimized Anti-Epileptic Screening Using Drosophila Models - Millions of people suffer from epilepsy in the US alone. In addition, many of these individuals do not respond well to current anti-seizure medications (pharmacoresistant epilepsy). Screening for new anti-seizure medications has proven difficult, especially using in vivo models of human epilepsy. We recently developed a model of pharmacoresistant epilepsy in the genetic model organism Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies). Using this new in vivo model we screened a large chemical library of 1280 previously approved drugs and found 8 that could be repurposed, off label, for the treatment of pharmacoresistant epilepsy. Here we will improve the anti-seizure screening process in Drosophila using multi-fly video tracking tool (IowaFLI Tracker) and tethered fly electrophysiology to increase the screening efficiency of the system (R61 phase). Then we will use these new tools to screen a large collection of >3500 previously approved drugs from the Yale Center for Molecular Discovery for repurposing in humans (R33 phase). This project will not only revel new drugs that can be repurposed for the treatment of Duplication 15q pharmacoresistant epilepsy but will also provide powerful new tools for in vivo screening of anti-seizure drugs using other fly models of human epilepsy that already exist or could be easily constructed using syntenic mutation techniques.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2026	2025	THE ADMINISTRATORS OF TULANE EDUCATIONAL FUND	6823 SAINT CHARLES AVE	NEW ORLEANS	LA	70118	ORLEANS	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	1	12/12/2025	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $363,602 )
2025	2025	THE ADMINISTRATORS OF TULANE EDUCATIONAL FUND	6823 SAINT CHARLES AVE	NEW ORLEANS	LA	70118	ORLEANS	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	1	1/21/2025	NEW	$363,602
														Subtotal = $363,602

Grand Total All Awards = $363,602

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Optimized Anti-Epileptic Screening Using Drosophila Models

Award Number: R61NS134960

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 01/21/2025

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 12/31/2026

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