Epilepsy Research Center – UCI Health Affairs

Our Vision: Overcoming Epilepsy

There are 65 million people worldwide who live with epilepsy, making it the fourth most common brain disorder and the most common in children.

The UC Irvine Epilepsy Research Center (EpiCenter) is leading the way toward a cure for epilepsy and related brain conditions including autism, intellectual disability and traumatic brain injury. From transformative neuroscience to state-of-the-art medicine, some of the most impactful discoveries in epilepsy research have been made at UC Irvine. Powered by a modular discovery platform that is both flexible and efficient, our world-class team of scientists, physicians and research staff are developing new breakthrough therapies and care strategies for epilepsy. Now, with your support, we will work across boundaries to accelerate our pace in bringing these scientific discoveries into the clinic.

The EpiCenter has been selected as one of 12 high-impact research programs that will be located in the Falling Leaves Foundation Medical Innovation Building.

In This New Facility

World-renowned scientists and clinicians together with new recruits will collaborate in custom-designed labs to translate discoveries into cures.

Interdisciplinary teams will work side-by-side to study the root causes of epilepsy and develop new treatments for patients.

Future leaders will be trained by the best to perform cutting-edge biomedical research and provide optimal care.

Indoor and outdoor gathering spaces for events, speakers and presentations will foster engagement and dialogue to speed and share discoveries.

Our Competitive Advantage

Empowered by the distinctive One Health approach of UC Irvine Health Affairs that transcends disciplinary boundaries, the EpiCenter comprises faculty and staff from the Susan & Henry College of Health Sciences (which includes the schools of medicine, nursing, pharmacy & pharmaceutical sciences, population & public health) and UCI Health, our regional healthcare delivery system which includes the trailblazing Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute. With some of the brightest minds in science and medicine working together on a shared mission of advancing new cures, our team is laser-focused on uncovering the basic biology of epilepsy and using this information to create new therapies, with a distinct focus on healing the whole person.

What sets the EpiCenter apart is the rich culture of collaboration and communication between laboratory scientists and clinical investigators. Our modular approach to disease modeling and discovery leverages expertise from all areas of neuroscience and is designed to strategically assemble teams of experts who work side-by-side to study the root causes of epilepsy and develop new treatments and cures — far exceeding the capacity of any single lab. As a result, we have a growing discovery pipeline of breakthrough therapies that includes new lead compounds, gene and cell therapies and natural remedies with promising antiseizure potential in rigorous pre-clinical epilepsy studies.

In addition to high-impact research, the EpiCenter supports the only NIH-funded T32 training program in epilepsy research. Program alumni have assumed leadership positions in academia and the private sector across the United States and now mentor their own trainees, expanding exponentially the impact of our program on the future of the epilepsy research workforce.

As we look to the future, we are setting our sights on an ambitious new vision to become the first epilepsy research center in the world that successfully bridges cutting-edge neuroscience research with state-of-the-art medicine. Our goal is to move beyond transformative basic science discoveries in the laboratory and bring them into the clinic, so we can help as many people as possible.
Robert Hunt, PhD

Message from the Director

Robert Hunt, PhD
Director, Epilepsy Research Center (EpiCenter)
Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology

For over 40 years, UC Irvine has played a pioneering role in epilepsy research. The Epilepsy Research Center was founded in 2002 by Tallie Z. Baram, MD, PhD, and it has transformed UC Irvine into an internationally recognized leader in epilepsy research and training. We now have a robust research community with many resources available through the EpiCenter, which supports a wealth of emerging tools and technologies, a biobank for childhood genetic disorders, a seminar series and conferences attracting prominent neuroscientists from around the world, and the only NIH-funded T32 training program in epilepsy research. By connecting nearly 40 investigators from three UC campuses and establishing partnerships around the world, the EpiCenter is setting a new standard in translational neuroscience that extends well beyond the borders of UC Irvine.

Read Full Message More About Dr. Hunt

A History of Innovation

Join Us in Making an Impact

We are seeking philanthropic partners to establish a home for the Epilepsy Research Center in the Falling Leaves Foundation Medical Innovation Building, and to support our programmatic funding to achieve transformational discoveries.

Named Spaces Within the Falling Leaves Foundation Medical Innovation Building

The overall design of the Falling Leaves Foundation Medical Innovation Building allows UC Irvine to foster dynamic alliances that move discovery from inspiration to practice. There is the opportunity to name the new home for the Epilepsy Research Center, as well as custom-designed laboratories and gathering spaces. As a philanthropic partner, you will ensure our scientists have the space, resources and facilities needed to perform their life-changing work.

Endowed Research Grants

Research endowments provide continuous support for our investigators who are reshaping the future of science and healthcare because external grants cover only a portion of costs. Moreover, endowed funding is particularly important to underwrite the most innovative discoveries and novel strategies because it provides the flexibility to follow the science that leads to breakthroughs. All this important work will be done under the name of our philanthropic partner. Named endowed scholarships underwrite the training of future generations of lead investigators and care providers in perpetuity.

Endowed Chairs

When you join us as a philanthropic partner naming an endowed chair, you will forever link your legacy to UC Irvine’s distinguished experts. Ultimately, advances in biomedical research will lead to innovative therapies. Philanthropic funds for endowed chairs, research and scholarships live in perpetuity. These funds create the ability to recruit and retain top-tier faculty who will be critical for UC Irvine to remain a world-class center of excellence for emerging therapies. Endowed chairs are so powerful because they establish a perpetual annual support stream for the chairholder to focus their efforts on aspirational research.

Partner With Us

Please join us as we make our vision of the Epilepsy Research Center a reality. To learn more about exclusive naming opportunities for this transformative initiative, and for associated spaces within the medical innovation building, please contact Health Advancement at healthadvancement@uci.edu.