Dive For A Cause 2008 - Recipient Charities

In an effort to maximize our contribution to epilepsy research Dive For a Cause committee has chosen a US and a Canadian charity for the 2008 event. This means that donors on both sides of the border will be able to recieve a tax receipt applicable to their respective country. In both cases Dive For a Cause 2008 will direct collected funds towards Epilepsy research. For Canada we will request that all funds be directed to Dr. Mac Burnham's research at UTERP and for United States we will request that all funds be directed to Epilepsy Research through CURE.

Epilepsy Research Details:

Dive For A Cause 2008 - University of Toronto Epilepsy Research Program

McIntyre Burnham, B.A., Ph.D.

W. McIntyre Burnham is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Pharmacology in the Faculty of Medicine in the University of Toronto. He is one of the best known Canadian researchers in the fields of epilepsy and anticonvulsant drugs.

Dr. Burnham obtained his B.A. at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. (Honours in Psychology) and his Ph.D. from McGill University in Montreal, P.Q. (Physiological Psychology). He subsequently did Post Doctoral Work with Dr. Peter Gloor at the Montreal Neurological Institute (Neurophysiology). He then joined the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Toronto, where he rose through the ranks to become a Full Professor.

Dr. Burnham is a basic scientist with a very practical bent. His laboratory is specialized in the development of anticonvulsant drugs that work by new and previously unknown principles. It is his hope that his new drugs will stop the seizures that resist conventional drugs. In the past decade his laboratory has discovered two new ways to stop seizures, and these are now in the early stages of drug development. One is related to the ketogenic diet, while the second relates to the neurosteroids. His group is also working on dietary approaches to seizure control. Their recent work suggests that supplementing a normal diet with polyunsaturated fatty acids might provide protection against seizures.

In addition to his academic work, Dr. Burnham is an active participant in Ontario’s non-profit epilepsy movement, serving on the Boards of Epilepsy Toronto, and later Epilepsy Ontario. For these efforts, he has received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, an Honorary Pioneer Award from Epilepsy Canada, and the Ontario Volunteer Service Award. He is currently the President of Epilepsy Ontario.

Over the years, Dr. Burnham has been successful in obtaining a number of peer-reviewed research grants, including (last eight years):

1999-2002: Principal Investigator, Medical Research Council of Canada (Co-applicant: J.H. Eubanks), $55,794 per annum. “Kindling-Induced Changes in Gene Expression: A Study Involving Differential Display.”

2000-2003: Principle Investigator, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, $57,558 per annum. “Anticonvulsant Effects of Progesterone.”

2000-2003: Co-Applicant, Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (Principal Investigator: S. Cunnane), $120,000 per annum, “How do Ketones Stop Seizures?”

2001-2002: Director, Bloorview Children’s Hospital Foundation Grant (Co-directors: P. Carlen and P. Hwang), $150,000 per annum. “The Bloorview Epilepsy Research Program”.

2001-2002: Principle Investigator, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, $99,229 per annum. “New Anticonvulsants for Intractable Epilepsy.”

2001-2003: Co-Applicant, The Hospital for Sick Children Foundation, (Principal Investigator: P.L. Carlen), $60,500 per annum. “The Ketogenic Diet: Cellular Mechanisms of Anticonvulsant Action.”

2002-2004: Co Applicant, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Principal Investigator: J. H. Eubanks), $106,646 per annum. “Correction of Rett Phenotype by Exogenous Gene Delivery.”

2003-2006: Principle Investigator, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, $58,843 per annum. “The Effect of Kindling on the Female Fertility Cycle on Rats”

2003-2006: Principle Investigator, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, $71,990 per annum. “Anticonvulsant Effects of Progesterone and its Metabolites”

2004-2009 Co Applicant, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Principal Investigator:
J. H. Eubanks), $117.137 per annum. “Towards the correction of Rett-like
behavior in meCP2-deficient mice by exogenous gene transfer.”

2005-2010 Principle Investigator, Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of
Canada, $10,000 per annum. ” Basic Mechanisms of Kindling.”

2007-2010 Principle Investigator, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, $80,659 per
annum. “Anticonvulsant Effects of Progesterone and its Metabolites”


Dr. Burnham is a member of a number of professional organizations and societies, including:

The Eastern Association of Electroencephalographers – Past President
The Society for Neuroscience
The Canadian College of Neuropsychopharmacology
The Canadian League Against Epilepsy
The Canadian Epilepsy Research Initiative – Treasurer
The University of Toronto Epilepsy Research Program – Director

Dr. Burnham has authored or co-authored more than 125 peer-reviewed research reports, and about 40 book chapters or books. A few of these are indicated below:

RESEARCH REPORTS (last 2 years)

115. Nylen, K, Hum, K., Likhodii, SS, Burnham, WM. A Ketogenic Diet and Diallyl Sulfide
Do Not Elevate Afterdischarge Thresholds in Adult Kindled Rats. Epilepsy Res., 71(1):
23-31, 2006.

116. Ng, M.M, Hwang, P.H. and Burnham, WM Afterdischarge Threshold Reduction in the
Kindling Model of Epilepsy. Epilepsy Res,, 72(2-3):97-101, 2006.

117. Thompson MD, Takasaki J, Capra V, Rovati GE, Siminovitch KA, Burnham WM, Hudson
TJ, Bosse Y, Cole DE. G-protein-coupled receptors and asthma endophenotypes: the
cysteinyl leukotriene system in perspective. Mol. Diagn Ther., 10(6):353-66, 2006.

118. Lonsdale D. and Burnham W.M. The Anticonvulsant Effects of Allopregnanolone against
amygdala-kindled seizures in female rats.. Neuroscience Letter, 411(2):147-51, 2007.

119. Perez-Cruz, C., Lonsdale D and Burnham, W.M Anticonvulsant Actions of
Deoxycorticosterone. Brain Research, 1145: 81-89, 2007.

120. Abdelmalik P.A., Shannon P., Yiu A., Liang P., Adamchik Y., Weisspapir M., Samoilova
M., Burnham W.M. and Carlen P.L. Hypoglycemic seizures during transient
hypoglycemia exacerbate hippocampal dysfunction. Neurobiol Dis., 26(3):646-60, 2007

121. Abdelmalik P.A., Liang P., Weisspapir M., Samoilova M., Burnham W.M. and Carlen
P.L. Factors which Abolish Hypoglycemic Seizures do not Increase Cerebral Glycogen
Content in vitro. Neurobiol Dis., 29(2): 201-209, 2008

122. Nylen,K., Velazquez J.L.P., Likhodii S., Cortez M., Shen L., Leshchenko Y., Adeli K.,
Gibson, M., Burnham W.M. and Snead C. A ketogenic diet rescues the murine succinic
semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficient henotype. Exp. Neurol. (Accetped)

123. Taha A.Y., Pedro S.P. Huot P.S.P., Reza-López S., Prayitno N.R., Jing X. Kang J.X.,
Burnham W.M. and Ma D.W.L. Seizure resistance in fat-1 transgenic mice endogenously
synthesizing high levels of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. J. Neurochem. (Accepted)

124. Taha A.Y., Filo E., Ma D. W.L. and BurnhamW.M. Dose-dependent anticonvulsant
effects of linoleic and a-linolenic polyunsaturated fatty acids on pentylenetetrazol induced
seizures in rats. Neuropsychopharmacol, (Submitted)

125. Hum K., Megna, S. and Burnham W.M. The effects of right and left amygdala kindling on
the female reproductive and feeding system in rats. Neuroscience. (Submitted)


BOOKS, BOOK CHAPTERS, ETC (last 6 years)

27. Burnham, W.M., Carlen, P.L., and Hwang, P.A. (Eds.) Intractable Seizures : Diagnosis,
Treatment and Prevention. Plenum Press, 2002.

28. Burnham, W.M. Why are complex partial seizures intractable? In Intractable Seizures:
Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention. Burnham, W.M., Carlen, P.L., and Hwang, P.A.,
eds. Plenum Press, 2002, New York, pp. 107-110.

29. Burnham, W.M. Epilepsy. In Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science ,Nature Publishing
Group vol. 2, 1-7, 2002

30. Burnham, W.M. Epilepsy: The Invisible Disability. In Disabilities in Ontario. 2003

31 Likhodii, S.S. and Burnham, W.M. The Effects of Ketone Bodies on Neuronal
Excitability. In Epilepsy and the Ketogenic Diet. Stafstrom, C. E. and Rho, J. M. Eds.,
Humans Press, 2004, pp.217-228.

32. Burnham, W.M., Lonsdale, D., Shahzamani, A., Perez-Cruz, C. and Edwards, E. H.
Development of New Anticonvulsants using the Kindling Model . In Kindling 6.
Corcoran, M. and Moshe, S.L., eds., Plenum Press, New York, pp. 325-332, 2005

33. Thompson M.D, Burnham W.M. and Cole D.E. The G protein-coupled receptors:
pharmacogenetics and disease. Crit. Rev. Clin. Sci., 42(4), 2005, pp. 311-392

34. Burnham, W.M. and Edwards, H.E. Intractable epilepsy, hormonal and reproductive
problems: human and animal studies. In Advances in Neurology, Vol. 97, Intractable
Epilepsy. Blume, W.T., Carlen, P.L., Starreveld, E., Wiebe, S. & Young, G.B. eds.,
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2006, pp. 351-355

36. Murphy, P. and Burnham W.M. Behavioural Comorbidities: Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder– Human and Animal Studies. In Advances in Neurology, Vol.
97, Intractable Epilepsy. Blume, W.T., Carlen, P.L., Starreveld, E., Wiebe, S. & Young,
G.B. eds., Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2006, pp. 339-343

37. Burnham, W.M. Epilepsy . In Intellectual and development disabilities. Brown, I &
Percy, M., eds., Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., Baltimore, 2007, pp 287-294

Dive For A Cause 2008 - CURE

CURE, Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy, is a volunteer-based nonprofit organization founded by parents of children with epilepsy who were frustrated with their inability to protect their children from the devastation of seizures and the side effects of medications. Unwilling to sit back and accept the debilitating effects of epilepsy, these parents joined forces to spearhead the search for a cure. Administrative costs are kept to a minimum, so that money raised can go directly towards finding a cure.

Our Mission
Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure for epilepsy by raising funds for research and by increasing awareness of the prevalence and devastation of this disease.

CURE Research Grants
Since its inception in 1998, CURE has raised more than $8 million to fund research and other initiatives that will lead the way to a cure for epilepsy. CURE funds seed grants to young and established investigators to explore new areas and collect the data necessary to apply for further funding by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). To date, CURE has awarded over 70 cutting edge projects.

CURE-Sponsored Conferences
Since its inception in 1998, CURE co-sponsored the National Institutes of Health Conference, Curing Epilepsy: Focus on the Future in March of 2000. This White House-initiated conference was the first of its kind to focus on epilepsy. Since then, CURE has also lent support to other relevant workshops and conferences, including the March 2007 NIH Conference.

CURE Advocacy
Through its advocacy efforts, CURE has helped raise federal expenditures by the NIH on epilepsy research from $68 million in 1998 to over $100 million so far. CURE was instrumental in the creation of the Epilepsy Research Benchmarks, which were created to help guide the research community toward a cure.

CURE has also worked to establish epilepsy as a disease which merits and now receives crucial funding support for research through the Department of Defense. Returning veterans with traumatic brain injury are at high risk of developing epilepsy.

Increasing Public Awareness
CURE is dedicated to raising public awareness about epilepsy and the fact that so many patients are severely impacted by the disease. Without a strong voice, epilepsy research will continue to lag behind that of other diseases. Through the Annual Benefits in Chicago, and the recent growth of fundraising efforts around the country, CURE is spreading the word that the only solution is an increased focus on epilepsy research. Prominent keynote speakers in Chicago have included First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton (1999 and 2003), Governor Jesse Ventura (2000), President Bill Clinton (2001), Governor Rod Blagojevich (2001), Senator John Edwards (2004), Senator Barack Obama (2005), and Meet the Press Host Tim Russert (2007).

In addition, CURE’s website provides up to date information on research news, facts about epilepsy, research funding, CURE grants and special events.