Guenther Foundation Awards Major Grant For Groundbreaking Epilepsy Research
Thursday, April 04, 2002
A variety of diseases have been targeted by proton radiation at Loma Linda University Proton Treatment Center, the clinical division of the School of Medicine’s department of radiation medicine.
Thanks to a generous grant of $3.5 million awarded on January 29 by the Henry L. Guenther Foundation, pediatric epilepsy will become the next target for proton radiation research.
Scientific studies will be carried out by the Radiation Biology Laboratories, the department of radiation’s research division.
"This grant is the largest award made by the Guenther Foundation to Loma Linda to date," says Albin H. Grohar, PhD, executive director of advancement for Loma Linda University and Medical Center. "It also represents the largest private grant made for proton research."
The grant will fund research and development efforts primarily aimed at treating pediatric epileptic patients, but will also have strong implications for treating adult epilepsy.
To be disbursed over five years, the grant will enable Radiation Biology Laboratories director James M. Slater, MD, FACR, professor and vice chair of radiation medicine, and fellow scientists to develop non-invasive treatment protocols for epileptic patients, using the precision inherent in proton therapy.
Robert Pearlstein, PhD, visiting faculty member from Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, will serve as senior scientist for this project.
Dr. Pearlstein has collaborated with Dr. Slater, the project’s principal investigator, on a variety of research projects through the years.
"Epilepsy is a debilitating neurological disorder that affects 2.5 million people in the United States and an estimated 50 million people worldwide," notes Dr. Pearlstein. "The disease shows no age preference, with almost one half of the cases beginning in childhood."
Dr. Pearlstein continues, "It is the most common neurological disorder seen in children and 300,000 children in the United States have epilepsy."
Dr. Slater and his colleagues have long wished to exploit the therapeutic precision of proton beams to develop treatment alternatives for epileptic patients.
"Treatment options for children with epilepsy are limited," Dr. Slater explains. "For those patients for whom epilepsy cannot be controlled with medication, the impact on quality of life would be significant."
For patients with localized seizures, according to Dr. Slater, the most effective of currently available options is surgery.
"While it will produce seizure control in a majority of patients, surgery has not gained widespread acceptance because of its invasiveness and risk of neurological compromise," Dr. Slater points out. "There is an urgent need to develop effective treatment alternatives for intractable epilepsy."
Dr. Pearlstein argues, "Early and effective intervention can rescue children from a lifetime of suffering."
After three decades of research and development involving the talents of more than 100 physical and medical scientists and engineers from around the world, the Loma Linda University Proton Treatment Center saw its first cancer patient in 1990. As the world’s first hospital-based proton therapy facility for the treatment of localized cancers and other diseases, the Proton Treatment Center has treated close to 7,000 patients to date.
In comparison with conventional forms of radiation—which affect adjacent healthy tissues as well as abnormal growths—protons can be focused precisely on tumors while significantly sparing surrounding normal tissue.
This property results in excellent control rates for cancerous and other growths, and greatly reduces side effects for patients.
"The potential of proton therapy as a treatment modality extends beyond the many forms of localized cancers being treated currently to certain neurological diseases," Dr. Slater details. "These include Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy.
"This award by the Guenther Foundation is unprecedented in many ways, but especially in the basic and clinical research that it makes possible," says Dr. Slater. "The humanitarian potential for this five-year research and development effort is enormous."
Dr. Grohar comments, "The Henry L. Guenther Foundation is one of the foremost private philanthropies in California, with a keen interest in furthering medical research."
In this pursuit, Dr. Grohar indicates, the foundation has funded well-known major research centers in the state.
"We are thrilled to know that the foundation has, through the years, especially noticed and supported Dr. Slater and his scientific team in their work at Loma Linda," attests Dr. Grohar. "The foundation’s trustees have, over the years, made a serious and persistent commitment to furthering the kind of medical research that may have vast humanitarian outcomes."
In speaking about this award, B. Lyn Behrens, MBBS, president of Loma Linda University and Medical Center, indicates that "this is the third grant that the Henry L. Guenther Foundation has made in support of Dr. Slater’s research in the past seven years."
She observes, "The foundation’s philanthropy has stimulated the development of treatment protocols for several forms of localized cancers."
Dr. Behrens continues, "This particular award is exciting, to say the least. The foundation’s generosity is matched only by the potential this award has for helping epileptic children and adults."
She concludes, "We are indeed deeply grateful to the directors of the foundation for their philanthropic and humanitarian leadership."
