A research team in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the College of Medicine conducted a new experimental, medical, scientific research at the research laboratory of the college, to find new medications for epilepsy and convulsion disease. The research was conducted on the relation between the inflammatory immune reactions and epilepsy disease, by studying the biomedical intermediates that occur during the inflammatory reaction of the brain, and the relation between the anti-inflammatory drugs and the immunosuppressive drugs in rats with epilepsy, through depakine with lithium.

Researches and studies have shown that the immune system has a significant role in the pathopsychology of epilepsy, therefore it requires discovering a new medication for the types of epilepsy that do not respond to the traditional medications. Worth mentioning, the following medications were used in the study: Celecoxib, Methotrexate, and Azathioprine Dexamethasone.

The study results showed that the anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs could reduce epilepsy severity by decreasing its biomarkers; and, hence, strengthening the possibility of targeting the inflammatory roads. Consequently, this could be a new, different treatment for epilepsy.

Researchers have published this study at Brain Research Magazine; a scientific, medical, international magazine with an accredited impact factor (IF= 2.856). Due to the importance of the published study, the primary researcher was invited to participate in the Epilepsy International Conference 2016 in Rome, Italy.

The Dean of the college, Dr. Anmar bin Muhammad Anoum Nasser, praised the efforts of the researchers and the facilities provided to them, and extended his thanks to the UQU President for the follow-up and support he offers to the scientific researches and innovations at UQU.

Noteworthy, the research team members were:  Dr. Laila Ezzat Bourham, Dr. Saeed Al-Ghamidi, Dr. Ibrahim Abdulaziz Ibrahim, Dr. Nayer Shahzad, Dr. Amal Mahfouz, Dr. Abeer Al-Refaie, and 4 students in the sixth year at the College of Medicine: Abdulrahman Al-Sharif, Mashaal Khan, Ali Milibari, and Bassam bin Saif.