History:

The Pediatric Epilepsy Research Consortium came about beginning in 2010 when two groups each began an effort to mobilize and organize the US pediatric centers into a practice-changing research network to define and deliver the best possible care to children with early life epilepsies and then to improve on that care through practice-changing research.  Because they shared the same goals, the two groups quickly came together to form the Pediatric Epilepsy Research Consortium or PERC. The initial research initiatives represent simple descriptive studies to capture the current practice for early life epilepsies overall with a special emphasis on infantile spasms. The initial studies are providing an unprecedented understanding of the diagnostic and treatment practices surrounding these difficult epilepsies.  The consortium is quickly moving toward becoming a platform for pivotal randomized trials and other research that will define the best available diagnostic and treatment practices. The solution to curing early life epilepsies and preventing the devastation associated with them will take time; PERC is committed to developing research capacity for the future by encouraging young investigators and engaging them in the consortium.