CURSO EPIGENS 2022

I Curso de Actualización en Epilepsias Genéticas
y Medicina de Precisión en Español

Genetics has revolutionized the way many epilepsies are diagnosed and treated.

June 17, 2022 / Neurology.

Genetics has revolutionized the way in which many epilepsies are diagnosed and treated, and advances in this field are accelerating. A good example is the «I Update Course on Genetic Epilepsies and Precision Medicine in Spanish (EPIGENS 2022)», which was held online on June 3 and 4, bringing together national and international experts, child and adult neurologists, basic scientists and representatives of patient groups from numerous countries, Spain, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Peru, Puerto Rico and the United States.

According to Dr. Antonio Gil-Nagel and Dr. Angel Aledo, neurologists of the Epilepsy program of the Ruber International Hospital and co-directors of the course, this is a pioneering initiative in epilepsy teaching, since it is the first time that an international course of these characteristics is held in Spanish, on the diagnosis and treatment of genetic epilepsy and precision medicine, with the aim of disseminating knowledge in this field, which is experiencing great progress in recent years.

The topics covered included: updates in classical encephalopathies, genetic studies in clinical practice or polygenic epilepsies, advances in Dravet syndrome, CDKL5 deficiency syndrome, potassium channelopathies or updates in neurometabolic syndromes with epilepsy, as well as new perspectives in genetic epilepsies or the importance of the involvement of associations.

International experts such as Sameer Zuberi, from the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, president of the European Society of Pediatric Neurology, Rikke Moller from the Danish Epilepsy Center in Philadelphia, Tim Benke from the Children’s Hospital Colorado in Denver, Sara Weckhusen from the VIB Center of Molecular Neurology in Belgium, Angels García Cazorla from Hospital San Juan de Dios in Barcelona, Pasquale Striano from Giannina Gaslini Institute in Genoa, Juan José García Peñas, from Hospital Universitario Niño Jesús in Madrid and Andrés Jiménez, from Joe diMaggio Children’s Hospital of South Florida, on the first day of the course.

Also, on the second day of the course, Dr. Beatriz González Giraldez, from the Fundación Jiménez Díaz in Madrid, Stephan Auvin from the Robert Debrés Universitary Hospital in Paris, Ana Mingorance, from the Loulou Foundation in London, Eduardo Pérez Palma, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago de Chile, Encarnación Guillén, Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca, Murcia, Rocío Sánchez-Alcudia from Blueprint Genetics, Helsinki, and Irene García Morales, Álvaro Beltrán Corbellini, Rafael Toledano from Hospital Ruber Internacional.

The course, a pioneer in its field and organized by the Fundación Iniciativa Para Las Neurociencias (FINCE) and the Hospital Ruber Internacional, had the scientific endorsement of the Spanish Epilepsy Society (SEEP) and the Spanish Society of Pediatric Neurology (SENEP). The pharmaceutical laboratories UCB Pharma, Jazz Pharmaceuticals and Zogenix supported the attendance of healthcare professionals. PTC Therapeutics, Biocodex, Orion Pharma, Blueprint Genetics and the Syngap research fund also collaborated.

Original press release: https://www.ruberinternacional.es/es/actualidad/noticias/epigens-2022-muestra-gran-avance-epilepsias-geneticas-medic