A kill switch for epilepsy? China cuts seizures by 92.6% in first human chemogenetic trial

A first-in-human chemogenetic trial in China reduced seizures by 92.6% in a patient with refractory epilepsy, according to the trial's reported results. The approach uses a chemogenetic system to suppress abnormal neural discharges in the brain, targeting the roughly one-third of epilepsy patients worldwide who do not respond to existing medications and for whom craniotomy resection carries a risk of irreversible neurological damage.