An anonymous donor's $25 million gift to Philadelphia-based Penn Medicine and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia will establish the Center for Epilepsy and Neurodevelopmental Disorders.
The new center will research genetic therapies for neurodevelopmental disorders. Initially, the research will focus on disorders related to mutations of the STXBP1 and SYNGAP1 genes, which are linked to abnormal brain function, intellectual disability, epilepsy, and motor and behavioral impairments.
The anonymous gift was made in honor of television executive Daniel Burke, whose son Stephen Burke served on the board of trustees of CHOP.
"CHOP and Penn have systematically invested in integrated care programs for genetic epilepsies and neurodevelopmental disorders," CHOP President and CEO Madeline Bell said. "This new center will fill the gap between the tremendous advances in early diagnosis and comprehensive clinical care and the development of new treatments for these patients."