"Over the last quarter century, we’ve made great progress against many life-threatening diseases. With continued support of leading researchers, we can accelerate medical solutions and provide greater hope for all patients."
Michael Milken
Co-Founder and Trustee, Milken Family Foundation

Since 1989, the Milken Family Foundation has been focused on the discovery of improved treatments and ultimately a cure for epilepsy, an affliction with diverse causes that has plagued humankind since ancient times. Today, more children are affected by epilepsy than all other neurological disorders combined.

What is Epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a neurological condition which affects the nervous system. Epilepsy is also known as a seizure disorder. When a person has two or more unprovoked seizures, he or she has epilepsy, which affects nearly three-million people in the United States and 50-million people worldwide.

This year, another 200,000 people in our country will be diagnosed with epilepsy. Despite all available treatments, 30 to 40% of people with epilepsy continue to experience seizures. These seizures may be related to a brain injury or a family tendency, but most of the time the cause is unknown. The word "epilepsy" does not indicate anything about the cause, type or severity of the person's seizures.

The Milken Family Foundation has worked with research and medical organizations, including the nonprofit Epilepsy Therapy Project (ETP), to drive the development of new therapies for epilepsy, accelerating the advancement of research from laboratory to patient. Funding is currently provided to ETP for Young Investigator Awards — grants that support the research and development of new therapies in both academic and commercial settings worldwide.