Last year Epilepsy Newfoundland and Labrador donated $25,000 to The Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University. That gift supported Dr. Matthew Parsons’ research project, “Understanding and Preventing the Disregulation of Excitatory Neurotransmission in Epilepsy”. This year, Epilepsy Newfoundland and Labrador is continuing to support integral epilepsy research in our province by awarding an additional $25,000 research grant. Following is a brief outline of the research conducted via ENL’s 2017 grant, as prepared by Dr. Parsons: As per the hypothesis, a particular drug was tested for benefits. The drug was ruled out due to the number of side effects, however, Dr. Parsons was able to uncover other mechanisms for potential beneficial drug treatments. The funding was used to assist with ongoing operational needs of biomedical research lab, such as the purchase of drugs for the experiments, animal housing costs, and graduate student support. The grant had great positive impacts in the field, including increasing student and researcher interest in pursuing epilepsy research, and an addition of epilepsy content to courses for students at the graduate level. Lectures on epilepsy were given to neurology residents, and the data captured during this study can be used to leverage federal funding opportunities, allowing for further research. On May 7th, 2018, ENL representatives attended a meeting with Researchers Dr. Matthew Parsons and Dr. Gary Paterno, as well as Memorial University Faculty of Medicine Senior Development Officer Jillian Gibson, to discuss research being funded by Epilepsy NL’s 2018 grant, and award the grant itself. In attendance were ENL President, Ron Stone, Vice President Patti Bryant, Executive Director Gail Dempsey and Information Officer Sarah Mercer. The awarded grant will fund the research project entitled: “A Role for the MEIR1 Gene in the Aetiology of Epilepsy”. MIER1 is a gene that was discovered by Memorial University’s Faculty of Medicine. In the current research project, Dr. Paterno, with a background in stem cell, genetics and cancer research, and Dr. Parsons are collaborating on investigating the epigenetics (the study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than alteration of the genetic code itself) that impact epilepsy by using the regulatory gene MEIR1 in relation to neuron creation and stimulation. Following the meeting ENL President Ron Stone presented the $25,000 grant to Drs Parsons and Paterno. This grant not only allows for further research but also contributes to the study of epilepsy on a continuing basis, by providing opportunities for more graduate students in our province to become involved and interested in research, of epilepsy in particular.