"May the microbes be with you", because meds alone aren’t winning this drug-resistant epilepsy battle

Epilepsy is the 4th most common brain disorder, causing repeated seizures that can seriously affect daily life. While most people with epilepsy take anti-seizure medications to control their symptoms, about 1 in 3 don’t respond to these drugs; this is known as drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). Scientists still don’t fully understand why this happens, but new research suggests the gut might play a surprising role. Healthy people usually have a balanced gut filled with helpful bacteria, but when this balance is thrown off, called gut dysbiosis, it may affect the brain in ways that contribute to DRE. My project aims to find out which bacteria are involved and how they might be changing small molecules in the body called microRNAs, which control important biological pathways. The goal is to move toward personalised treatments based on each person’s gut and biology, rather than giving patients dozens of medications that may not work.  This work is essential to move beyond symptom management and toward personalised, root-cause interventions.