My Nonprofit Reviews

CURE Epilepsy has played a transformational role in fostering, advocating for, promoting and funding epilepsy research in general, and research into Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) in particular. Through its research award programs for SUDEP, CURE has promoted the work of young scientists who have gone on to lead large federally funded projects that began with CURE support. CURE's role in the larger ecosystem, in bringing biomarker discovery and preventive strategy development to the forefront, has been foundational, and will have lasting impact. In my own case, CURE funded a SUDEP Neuropathology project that laid the groundwork to the first documentation of brainstem damage in persons with epilepsy and SUDEP. This led to an NIH project as part of a large consortium effort, and further descriptions of neuronal and astrocytic changes in SUDEP brains. This in turn opens up many avenues of research into specific neuronal populations, pathways and neurotransmitters that will one day lead to prevention. This is just one of many such examples of CURE support. Their work is invaluable.