Day 1 Full Agenda
Monday, May 4, 2026
8:30 AM
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Laura Lubbers, PhD, CURE Epilepsy
8:45 AM
Mechanism of PTE in Preclinical Studies (Preclinical Session, part 1)
Introduction: John Wolf, Session Moderator
| "Ionic microdomains as a driver of neocortical PTE in a large animal model" | Kevin Staley, MD, Massahusetts General Hospital |
| "Immune–Brain Interactions in Post-Traumatic Epileptogenesis" | Jeanne T. Paz, PhD, Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease/UCSF |
| "When your Ferrari breaks down: Cell type-specific metabolism in PV+ interneurons fails after TBI" | Chris Dulla, PhD, Tufts University |
| "The Purinergic P2X7 receptor as therapeutic target for post-traumatic epilepsy" | Tobias Engel, PhD, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland |
10:00 AM - Break
10:15 AM
Mechanism of PTE in Preclinical Studies (Preclinical Session, part 2)
Introduction: Chris Dulla, Session Moderator
| Title forthcoming | John Wolf, PhD, University of Pennsylvania |
| "Multi-omic and functional analysis reveals astrocyte metabolic perturbations in post traumatic epilepsy" | Michelle Olsen, PhD, Virginia Tech |
| "Astrocytic Pathology in the Thalamus Precedes Seizure Onset and Promotes Post-Traumatic Epilepsy" | Elisa R. Zanier, MD, Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research |
| Title forthcoming | Aylin Ried, PhD, University of Toronto |
11:30 AM
Discussion: Post-Traumatic Epilepsy: The Lived Experience
12:00 PM - Lunch and Poster Session
2:30 PM
Mechanisms of PTE in Pre-Clinical Studies (Lessons from EpiBios4Rx-Preclinical)
Introduction: Elisa Zanier, Session Moderator
| Title forthcoming | Paul Vespa, MD, University of California, Los Angeles |
| "miRNA biomarkers for PTE - from discovery to translation" | Asla Pitkänen, MD, PhD, Dsci, University of Eastern Finland |
| Title forthcoming | Aristea S. Galanopoulou, MD, PhD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine |
| Announcement April 1st | Early-Stage Investigator |
3:55 PM - Break
4:15 PM
Discussion and Wrap-up of Day 1: What are the most promising mechanisms to target for anti-epileptogenic therapies? What are the most promising animal models?
Moderator and Discussants: Asla Pitkanen, John Wolf, Aristea Galanopoulou
5:00 PM