Webinar: Dual-AAV Gene Therapy Corrects Dravet Syndrome in Mice

Abstract

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Speaker:

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  Name: Franck K. Kalume, Ph.D.

  Company: Seattle Children’s Research Institute; Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Washington

  Title: Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery, Adjunct Associate Professor of Global Health, Adjunct Associate Professor of Pharmacology

  Dr. Franck Kalume is a Principal Investigator in the Center for Integrative Brain Research (CIBR) at Seattle Children’s Research Institute and an Associate Professor in the Departments of Neurological Surgery, Pharmacology, and Global Health at the University of Washington. He earned his B.S. in Biology from LeMoyne-Owen College and his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He completed postdoctoral training at the University of Washington under the mentorship of Dr. William A. Catterall, a renowned expert in ion channel physiology.

   

  Before joining the faculty at Seattle Children’s and the University of Washington in 2012, Dr. Kalume served as an Acting Instructor in the Department of Pharmacology at UW. His research is focused on the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying epilepsy, sleep disturbances, and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), with particular emphasis on Dravet syndrome. He also investigates therapeutic interventions, including the ketogenic diet and gene-based therapies, for genetic epilepsies. Dr. Kalume’s work integrates translational neuroscience, electrophysiology, and advanced genetic models to inform the development of disease-modifying treatments.

   

  In line with his research, Dr. Kalume also serves as Associate Director of a specialized postdoctoral training program (Invent at Seattle Children’s) aimed at preparing the next generation of leaders in the field of therapeutics discovery and development for the biotech industry.

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