WNT pathway treatments for preventing and treating drug-resistant seizures
Official title: Investigational WNT-pathway modulators for the treatment and prevention of drug-resistant seizures
Funded at University of Washington · NIH-11239953 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work tests medicines that target the WNT signaling pathway to help adults whose seizures do not respond to current anti-seizure drugs.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Washington NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2023 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $373,489 |
| NIH project number | 4R33NS126626-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11239953 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults (21+) with epilepsy that does not respond to current anti-seizure drugs or people at high risk of developing epilepsy would be the most likely candidates for future trials based on this work.
✕Less likely to help
People with well-controlled seizures, children under 21, or seizure types unrelated to the mechanisms studied are unlikely to benefit directly from this preclinical work.
What this research studies
From a patient perspective, researchers are using established rodent seizure and kindling models to see whether drugs that change WNT signaling can stop seizures and block the development of epilepsy. The team is testing several repurposed medicines that act on brain development and tissue maintenance pathways to look for antiseizure and anti-epileptogenic effects. Experiments are being done in mice and rats using standard evoked-seizure assays and chronic models of network hyperexcitability. Promising results would be followed by safety testing and steps toward human clinical trials.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new medicines that control seizures for people with drug-resistant epilepsy and possibly prevent epilepsy from developing after an injury.
How similar studies have gone: Animal-model screening has historically identified many effective anti-seizure drugs, but targeting the WNT pathway is a newer approach with limited testing in humans so far.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Washington
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Barker-Haliski, Melissa Leigh — University of Washington
- Study coordinator: Barker-Haliski, Melissa Leigh
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.