BGU Professor Awarded 2007 Michael Prize for Epilepsy Research
BGU Professor Awarded 2007 Michael Prize for Epilepsy Research
July 14, 2008
Medical Research, Press Releases
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – June 26, 2007 – Prof. Alon Friedman of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) has won the prestigious 2007 Michael Prize for Epilepsy Research from the Michael Foundation of Germany. The Michael Prize is awarded biennially, and focuses on scientists under the age of 45.
Through his work with patients, Friedman discovered that many who are at risk of developing epilepsy suffer leaks and tears in the blood-brain barrier. These leaks can be the result of a stroke, head trauma, diabetes, or even epilepsy itself in some cases.
In his work over the past 10 years, he and fellow researchers at the Faculty of Health Sciences at BGU, together with Professor Uwe Heinemann from the Charite Medical University in Berlin and Professor Daniela Kaufer from Berkeley University, worked on determining the effects of this breakdown on the brain. Today, they believe they have found not just the answer, but also a potential cure that they might be able to take back to patient bedsides one day.
In his research at Soroka University Medical Center, Prof. Friedman discovered that when the blood-brain barrier was disrupted, serum albumin, the most common protein in the bloodstream, leaks through tears in the barrier into the brain.
Serum albumin interacts harmfully when it comes into contact with specific brain cells. This contact leads to a chain of molecular events (changes in the levels of specific brain proteins) that cause abnormal cell activity. The abnormal activity often takes the form of an epileptic seizure, and later causes brain cell degeneration. Epilepsy can occur many years after trauma, so experiencing trauma in birth or early childhood might only trigger seizures much later in life.
By identifying the harmful interactions between serum albumin and brain cells that trigger epilepsy, Friedman believes that he can block the signal to prevent this disease from developing.
More than two and half million Americans are epileptics, and according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes, and in the U.S. alone, more than five million people suffer from traumatic brain injury. Friedman estimates that of this figure, some 20% go on to develop epilepsy, while 20% also develop cognitive impairment.
Although epilepsy has many causes, including kidney disease and genetic inheritance, stroke is a common cause of epilepsy for elderly people, while head trauma is a more likely cause in younger patients.
So far, Friedman and his researchers have carried out animal tests and have proven that they can successfully prevent epilepsy in most animals. Friedman’s research in experimental animals has led him and Dr. Ilan Shelef, the head of the MR Unit in Soroka University Medical Center, to a series of observations in human patients confirming the importance of the blood-brain barrier in causing neurological disorders.
In the future, Friedman hopes to follow up these observations with clinical tests. “At this stage, we are looking to carry out more animal and clinical studies. We need to follow patients to see if our hypothesis is correct. Then, we have to find the right drugs to make this possible.”
ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY
By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.
About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.
We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.
BGU at a glance:
20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.
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