Dr Karin Borges

Position

Lecturer

Qualifications and Awards

1989  Diplom (B.S.)  Biology, Cell Biology, University of Freiburg, Germany
1994  Ph.D. Neurobiology, University of Heidelberg, Germany
 

Associations

Society for Neuroscience, member since 1995
American Epilepsy Society, member since 2001
Epilepsy Society Australia, member since 2009
Australian Neuroscience Society, member since 2010
Epilepsy Queensland, member since 2011
 

Contact Details

Location Room 423, Skerman Building (No 65), St Lucia campus
Mail School of Biomedical Sciences,
The University of Queensland,
BNE, QUEENSLAND 4072
Telephone +61 (0)7 3365 3113
Facsimile +61 (0)7 3365 1766
Email k.borges@uq.edu.au

Biography

Dr. Borges studied Biology in at the University of Freiburg (Germany). Studying glutamate receptors in glial cells, she received a PhD in Neurobiology at Heidelberg University in 1994. She continued her education as a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Pharmacology at Emory University studying the regulation of transcription of the glutamate receptor subunits, GluR1 and GluR4. Since 2001, she has been interested in the morphological and functional changes involved in the development epilepsy as an instructor at Emory University, then as Assistant Professor at Texas Tech University (2005-2008) and now at UQ. Her long-term goal is to find new treatments that are anticonvulsant and can prevent the development of epilepsy after brain insults. To this end she has been receiving several grants from the Epilepsy Foundation, Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy,Epilepsy Therapy Project,  NIH and NHMRC and has applied for three patents.

Research Interests

  • Anti-inflammatory treatments to prevent seizures and the development of epilepsy
  • Development of triheptanoin as a new anticonvulsant treatment - reviewed on Youtube.
  • Dr. Borges together with Professor Terence O’Brien, started a clinical trial of triheptanoin in epilepsy patients in July 2012 in Melbourne. The trial is funded by the Epilepsy Therapy Project through the American Epilepsy Research Foundation,
    http://www.epilepsy.com/newsfeeds/press_release/997156.

Selected Publications

Samala R, Klein J, Borges K. (2011)  Neurochemistry International 58: 5-8

Sonnewald, U. and Borges, K. Triheptanoin - a medium chain triglyceride with odd chain fatty acids: a new anaplerotic anticonvulsant treatment? Epilepsy Research, epub 18 Aug 2011

Willis S, Stoll J, Sweetman L, Borges K. (2010) Anticonvulsant effects of a triheptanoin diet in two chronic mouse epilepsy models. Neurobiology of Disease, 40: 555-572. 

Borges, K., M.Gearing, D.L. McDermott, A.B. Smith, A.G. Almonte, B.H. Wainer and R. Dingledine (2003) Neuronal and glial pathological changes during epileptogenesis in the mouse pilocarpine model.
Exp. Neurol. 1882: 21-34

Borges, K., McDermott, D., Irier, H., Smith, R. and R. Dingledine. (2006) Degeneration and proliferation of astrocytes in the mouse dentate gyrus after pilocarpine-induced status epilepticu
Exp Neurol 201:416-427

Borges, K., Shaw, R. and R. Dingledine. (2007) Seizure preconditioning changes gene expression mainly within the dentate gyrus granule cell layer. Neurobiology of Disease 26: 66-77

Borges, K., Gearing, M., Rittling, S., Sorensen, E., Kotloski, R., Denhardt, D., and R. Dingledine. (2008) Characterization of osteopontin expression and function after status epilepticus
Epilepsia 49:1675-85

Samala, R, Willis, S. and Borges, K. (2008) Anticonvulsant profile of a balanced ketogenic diet in acute mouse seizure models. Epilepsy Research 81:119-27

Willis, S., Samala, R., Rosenberger, T. and Borges, K. (2009). Eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids are not anticonvulsant or neuroprotective in acute mouse seizure models. Epilepsia. 50: 138-42

Grants

2012-2013    Epilepsy Therapy Project    Clinical trial of add-on triheptanoin
 
2010-2012       NHMRC -  Complement activation in experimental epilepsy: role of C5a receptors
 
2009-2011       NIH -  The role of ketones in the anticonvulsant mechanism of the ketogenic diet  
                                            
2008-2009       CURE (Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy)  -  Anaplerosis as a new treatment for epilepsy
 
2007                 Epilepsy Foundation Research Grant  -  Effects of the ketogenic diet on brain extracellular fluid composition
 
2005-2007      New Therapy Grant by Epilepsy Foundation and Epilepsy Project    
              
2004                 CURE -  Identification and Evaluation of Neuroprotective Genes in the Primed Seizure Model
 
2002-2003      Epilepsy Foundation  Junior Investigator Award - The Role of Osteopontin in Epileptogenesis and Neuronal Cell Death  
                             
2002-2003      Emory University Research Council -   Identification of Genes Involved in Epileptogenesis
 

Current Research Collaboration

 
Dr Mohd Farooq Shaikh
 
Dr Shaikh recently earned his doctorate at the Institute of Chemical Technology in Mumbai, India, where he evaluated the pharmacological properties of Eclipta alba in experimental models of epilepsy. With his IBRO-APRC Exchange Fellowship award, he will undertake research in the laboratory of Karin Borges. According to Dr. Shaikh, "In traditional medicine extracts of Eclipta alba, commonly known as False Daisy, has been used to treat epilepsy; however its efficacy is not well established. In my PHD work I showed that Eclipta alba extracts are anticonvulsant in several mouse seizure models. To further the development of this treatment approach it is now vital to decipher its mechanism of action."
 

 

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