Sanchez, Christina Laura

Over 70 million people worldwide suffer from epilepsy, with 90% of those cases taking place in developing countries (Singh & Trevick, 2016). Epilepsy can be defined as at least two unprovoked seizures occurring more than 24 hours apart, one unprovoked seizure with at least 60% chance of another seizure occurring within the next 10 years, or a diagnosis of epilepsy syndrome (Fisher et al., 2005). Varying physiological, molecular, genetic, and environmental factors can contribute to epileptic episodes. Although antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) exist, the complexity and lack of understanding behind the molecular mechanisms of the syndrome leaves the few drugs available to be insufficient for many patients (Rho & White, 2018). Therefore, the discovery of genetic pathways involved in epilepsy is imperative for the innovation of antiepileptic drugs. This thesis explores a novel method to add to mutant C.elegans libraries and improve antiepileptic drug discovery in a cost-effective and efficient manner by uncovering candidate molecular pathways through the candidate genes involved with antiepileptic strains.