5th International Lafora Epilepsy & Glycan Workshop

The aim of this meeting is to expand on the first four highly successful Lafora disease (LD) workshops. LD is a both a glycogen storage disease and a progressive myoclonus epilepsy. Patients develop normally until their early teens, experience an epilepsy episode, the episodes increase qualitatively and qualitatively until the patient dies in their 20s-30s. Multiple labs have demonstrated that the pathogenic cause of the disease are glycan aggregates in the brain. The LD research community is focused on both defining how these glycans form and developing novel therapeutics to either inhibit their formation or remove them. Specific Aims: 1) Disseminate new glycan discoveries, methodologies and tools; 2) Facilitate scientific discussion and collaboration; 3) Encourage professional development of newer scientists, including women and scientists from underrepresented groups; 4) Cultivate collaborations with industry partners to transition discoveries from the pre-clinical pipeline into the clinic. The Mizutani Foundation has funded some basic research on LD and it is now time to convert these discoveries into therapies and cures.