Epilepsy Foundation Awards $250,000 to Emerging Medical Innovations

The competition, held during the Foundation's Pipeline Conference, awarded prizes across two distinct categories. Jainu Jogani of the Child's Cure Genetic Research Foundation secured the Community Award, receiving up to $50,000 for her research into using allopurinol as a potential treatment for CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder. Meanwhile, the $200,000 Investment Prize went to Sydney Cash of NeuroWeaves, recognized for developing thin, gold-thread EEG electrodes capable of providing hospital-quality monitoring for over 30 days without the need for adhesive.

The event also featured pitches from innovators like Brin Freund, who proposed non-invasive neuromodulation techniques, and Deven Sanon, who is developing new anti-seizure medications. The process, modeled after the popular television format, aimed to bridge the gap between early-stage concepts and clinical application. Beyond the competition, the Foundation honored Joyce A. Cramer with the Lifetime Accelerator Award, recognizing her decades of work in clinical trial design and patient-reported outcomes. These investments underscore the organization's ongoing effort to support the 3.4 million Americans currently living with epilepsy.