During the 20th edition of CEBioForum2022 Pikralida sp. z o.o. and Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology PAS received the award in the category “R&D collaboration” for the joint project EpiFix.

EpiFix aims to develop a breakthrough therapeutic solution to prevent the development of epilepsy after brain injury or stroke. Currently, approximately 30% of epilepsy cases are untreatable and require chronic drug treatment to alleviate symptoms. There are an estimated 2.3 million serious head injuries and 1.9 million strokes each year in Europe and the United States, each of which can cause the onset of epileptogenesis, which ultimately leads to epilepsy.

The project is based on the results of long-term studies concerning the role of the MMP-9 enzyme in epileptogenesis, conducted under the supervision of Prof. Leszek Kaczmarek, in the Laboratory operating within Center of Excellence for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders BRAINCITY. Pikralida has obtained a license for the invention filed for patent protection under the number PCT/IB2019/055040 and, in collaboration with Nencki Institute, is now developing it into a medicinal product. The EpiFix project is funded by the National Center for Research and Development, as part of the mechanism available in 3/1.1.1/2020 Fast Track for Mazovia competition.

BRAINCITY project at Nencki Institute is funded by the Foundation for Polish Science.