Federal Minister for Health Greg Hunt has announced a $2million fund to support research into finding a cure for genetic epilepsy disorders.
March 26 was Purple Day, a day for raising awareness of the significant impact epilepsy has on the lives of more than 250,000 Australians.
After meeting with the Williams family and hearing of the ordeal faced daily by them, Minister Hunt committed to kickstarting the Australian Epilepsy Research Fund, which will have a strong early focus on finding a cure for genetic epilepsies, starting with a SYNGAP-1 research project.
The c is a national initiative to support research that aims to find a cure for epilepsy, as well as research how best to support people living with epilepsy in the meantime.
Epilepsy Foundation CEO Graeme Shears said: “This is an amazing start for the Australian Epilepsy Research Fund. We call on the community to help grow this research fund in order to provide $1million per year for epilepsy research. The minister’s generous contribution will assist us in building awareness of epilepsy, supporting research into curing epilepsy and reducing its impact on people’s lives.”
