Adjunct Professor Xavier Ekolle Ndode Ekane is working in the Epilepsy Research group at the A.I.Virtanen Institute, University of Eastern Finland. Epilepsy Research group led by professor Asla Pitkänen is focused on understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms of epileptogenesis after traumatic brain injury and developing interventions to prevent epileptogenesis or alleviate the disease severity.  

Xavier has over 15 years of experience in academy research and teaching including supervising post-docs, PhD students, and graduate students in several projects. He is an expert in vivo rodent models of temporal lobe epilepsy and post-traumatic epilepsy. He also possesses expert skills in histology and immunohistochemistry techniques and image analysis, in vivo electrophysiology and optogenetics. “My current research interest includes mechanism underlying post-traumatic epilepsy and executive dysfunction, with specific focus on the role of subcortical network structural and functional alterations in these traumatic brain injury outcomes. Generally, I’m also interested in vascular and glial mechanisms of neurodegenerative disorders”, Xavier describes.  

Also, Xavier is working as the coordinator of the international multi-center project The Epilepsy Bioinformatics Study for Antiepileptogenic Therapy (EpiBioS4Rx) at the University of Eastern Finland. His duties include planning and coordinating day-to-day experiments, assisting technically in producing the model, animal welfare follow-up, blood sampling, data collection and analysis and drug preparation and administration. “I’m coordinating and harmonizing protocols with the other international partners including data collection and analysis”, he says.   

 “I hope local organizations such as UEF Neuroscience Research Community and Kuopio Brain & Mind can bring people together and feed the start of the multidisciplinary and multicenter research and development conversation”, Xavier concludes. 

Epilepsy Research group: https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/group/epilepsy-research/  

The Epilepsy Bioinformatics Study for Antiepileptogenic Therapy (EpiBioS4Rx): https://epibios.loni.usc.edu/