Announcing the Epilepsy Foundation Innovation Institute
We have learned from other industries that focusing on a hard to reach goal can produce surprising results. Tesla focused on the self-driving car, and even though it seemed impossible, they are close to making it a reality. Part of Steve Jobs’ genius was that he could imagine advances that others couldn’t and brought together bright individuals with multiple sets of talents to make it happen. The Epilepsy Foundation is launching an Epilepsy Innovation Institute (EI2) to work towards a similar goal, and we need your help.
What are we asking for?
We would like you to help us imagine a research goal that will advance our field in a transformative way. We believe that we can focus on that goal, through our newly formed Innovation Institute, and make the impossible possible.
What would such a goal look like?
The goal should directly address a patient unmet need, and should be a stretch, a “moonshot” but achievable in the next 5-10 years. When thinking about a goal, don’t limit yourself to scientific approaches currently being used for epilepsy but about the broader reaches of science and engineering. Examples include: creation of an “epilepsy thermometer” that could assess seizure risk from day to day, or development of a molecular diagnosis of epilepsy that would lead to individualized targeted treatment, or treatment of epilepsies by correcting the underlying genetic defects(for example, by using new gene editing techniques, RNA manipulation, or epigenetic regulation).
What next?
Once we identify the goal, we will be asking for your help in identifying the best group of scientists to address our goal.
If you wish to submit a goal, please fill out the questions below.
If you have any questions, concerns, or problems with the survey, please email surveyhelp@efa.org.