A new Research Chair dedicated to Pediatric Epilepsy has been established at CHU Sainte-Justine in Montreal with the aim of enhancing understanding of the condition and developing improved treatments for those affected, specifically by enhancing the management of epileptic seizures.
The official unveiling of the research chair took place on Friday at CHU Sainte-Justine, made possible by the dedication of two parents who tragically lost their son to refractory epilepsy.
In honor of their son, Édouard Boivin, who passed away at the age of nine, Claude-André Boivin and Laurence Gauvin-Couture founded a foundation in 2021 in his memory. They successfully raised $2.5 million, which was utilized to establish the new pediatric epilepsy research chair.
Epilepsy encompasses various disorders with varying degrees of severity. While some individuals may experience ten seizures daily over an extended period, others might only have two seizures throughout their entire lives.
Dr. Elsa Rossignol, a pediatric neurologist, has been appointed as the inaugural holder of the research chair in pediatric epilepsy. With two decades of experience in this field, Rossignol has made significant strides in identifying certain causes of epilepsy in children within her laboratory at CHU Sainte-Justine.
Reflecting on the progress achieved over the past decade, Rossignol emphasizes the advancements in diagnosing the condition and understanding its roots in many families. She expresses optimism about the prospect of developing enhanced treatments.
Rossignol acknowledges the extraordinary contribution from the Édouard Boivin Foundation, highlighting its pivotal role in advancing their research efforts. She plans to delve into various therapeutic avenues, including innovative approaches like progenitor cell transplantation, which could potentially offer relief to epilepsy patients by reducing seizure frequency and cognitive impairments.
The research team aims to explore the sustained benefits of progenitor cell transplantation in improving cognition, behavior, and seizure severity over time. Rossignol points out that a clinical trial in Europe is already underway for epilepsy in adults involving transplants and expresses the desire to adapt similar strategies for children with epilepsy through the Édouard Boivin Chair.
Epilepsy affects approximately one percent of the population, with 100,000 adults and 30,000 children in Quebec impacted by the condition. While a third of individuals do not respond to medication effectively, Rossignol provides reassurance that the majority of patients respond well to treatment, with a low risk of mortality. However, cognitive challenges may persist for some children even post-epilepsy.
