Work

Activity-dependent antioxidant gene therapy protects against epileptogenesis

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Epilepsy affects >50 million people worldwide, and nearly one-third are drug resistant. Current antiseizure medications primarily provide symptomatic seizure control but do not effectively modify the underlying disease process or halt the progression of epilepsy 1 . Oxidative stress can be both a cause and a consequence of seizures, yet constitutive antioxidant therapy interferes with physiological redox signaling 2 . Here, we developed an activity-dependent gene therapy that couples Nrf2, a transcription factor and upstream modulator of antioxidant responses 3 , to cfos , an immediate-early gene promoter selectively induced in hyperactive neurons 4 .

Source: Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy

DOI: 10.1038/s41392-026-02738-w

Authors: Prince Kumar Singh, Gabriele Lignani, Matthew C. Walker, Andreas Lieb, Tawfeeq Shekh-Ahmad

Institutions: Hebrew University of Jerusalem, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, Innsbruck Medical University, Universität Innsbruck

Language: English

Topic: Epilepsy research and treatment

Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,790