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Associate Professor Lata Vadlamudi

Principal Research Fellow

UQ Centre for Clinical Research
Faculty of Medicine
l.vadlamudi@uq.edu.au

Overview

Associate Professor Lata Vadlamudi is a Senior Staff Specialist in Neurology at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital; Epileptologist within the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program; Metro North Clinician Research Fellow; and Brain, Neurology and Mental health Theme Leader at the University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research.

She obtained her medical degree from the University of Queensland and completed physician training in the field of Neurology. Further specialized training in epilepsy was undertaken in Melbourne, Sydney and the Mayo Clinic, USA. Her PhD was obtained from the University of Melbourne.

Clinical interests include management of women with epilepsy, particularly during pregnancy with a dedicated women and epilepsy clinic. Other interests include integrating genomics into clinical care with current research projects including developing a Queensland neuro-genomics service to underpin the era of precision-based medicine; and an MRFF-funded project personalising epilepsy regimes with stem cells and artificial intelligence models for superior treatment outcomes.

Awards have included the University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research Clinician Researcher of the Year, Metro North Clinician Research Fellowship; Highly Commended Clinical Research Award by Metro North Hospital and Health Service, Epilepsy Queensland Health Award for contributions to the medical care of people with epilepsy; and Leonard Cox Award from the Australian and New Zealand Association of Neurologists for outstanding contribution to research in the field of Neurology.

Research Interests

  • Personalising Epilepsy Regimes with Stem cells and artificial Intelligence models for Superior Treatment outcomes (PERSIST)
    This MRFF funded project will utilise cohorts of human induced pluripotent stem cell lines (hIPSC) derived from drug-responsive and drug-resistant epilepsy patients established across the two epilepsy research nodes (The University of Queensland and Monash University) and build on our collective expertise in generating hIPSC-derived brain organoids. We will also integrate our expertise in artificial intelligence models to further advance the algorithm. We will use hiPSC-derived brain organoids and screen a library of approved drugs to identify those able to alter neural activity in a patient-specific model, train an artificial intelligence model that leverages both clinical and genomic data to assist drug selection, and validate treatment predictions in real-world clinical settings. Demonstrating the utility of an epilepsy patient-specific in-vitro drug screening platform in combination with decision-making software offers substantive health benefits for patients, provides neurologists with an evidence-based medicine approach, reduces health care costs and has the potential to enable transformative new insights into the genetic drivers of epilepsy and drug-resistance, to inform new therapy development
  • Genomics and Epilepsy Clinical Outcomes (GECO)
    Almost one third of epilepsy patients have to endure a “medication odyssey” in the hope of finding an effective treatment. To shorten or alleviate this burden, brain organoids can created from pluripotent stem cells derived from the blood cells of epilepsy patients that are drug responsive or drug refractory. We next examine the brain organoid activity patterns to discover drugs and drug combinations that are effective in treating the drug resistant patients (using the responsive ones as controls). We envisage that this unique approach will dramatically shorten the “medication odyssey” that epilepsy patients have to endure without finding an effective treatment.
  • Developing a Queensland neuro-genomics service to underpin the era of precision-based medicine
    To utilise genomic and neurological expertise to improve the diagnostic pathway and to facilitate precision-based management of patients with neurological conditions. A neuro-genomics service supports the complex process of assessment, testing and return of results, in order to facilitate ongoing care for the individual and their family, in close conjunction with their treating neurologist. This genomic information will underpin the era of precision medicine, which holds great promise for treatment advances such as gene-specific therapy, where genomic information can be used to better treat or cure disorders. We piloted a neurogenetics service for drug resistant epilepsy patients. The goal was to demonstrate that this model of care in drug resistant epilepsy patients will significantly improve their healthcare and show that this can be delivered using available resources effectively and efficiently.
  • Women with epilepsy
    1. The characteristics and quality of life of women with epilepsy We aim to use the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, a large population-based prospective cohort study, to assess the characteristics and examine the association between epilepsy and health-related quality of life over two decades in women with epilepsy. We plan to undertake a retrospective, longitudinal study to assess the characteristics of women with epilepsy and the association between epilepsy and women’s health-related quality of life compared with women without epilepsy. 2. Women with epilepsy: peri-menopause and beyond (WELL study) We plan to commence a prospective, longitudinal study initially at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and then extend nationally. Our objectives To better understand the relationship between hormones and seizures in women with epilepsy: peri-menopause and beyond To better understand the factors involved in bone health in women with epilepsy: peri-menopause and beyond To better understand the quality of life (QOL) of women with epilepsy: peri-menopause and beyond.

Research Impacts

Epilepsy is a serious and common neurological condition and affects over 50 million people worldwide. Epilepsy is a global health priority as the burden of the disease is far greater than just the seizures and includes psychiatric co-morbidity, quality of life, loss of productivity and increased risk of death. Epilepsy is a heterogenous disorder with many causes, and the challenge lies in the fact that more than 30% of epilepsy patients are resistant to anti-seizure medications. Current anti-seizure medications do not treat the cause.

Research plays a vital role to improve outcomes for epilepsy patients. The two most common questions patients ask their neurologist is “What is the cause of my epilepsy” and “How can my epilepsy be treated?”

Our research interests include the specific role hormones play in women with epilepsy and precision-based treatment. A better understanding of the cause for each person will underpin the era of more personalised treatments to improve outcomes for epliepsy.

WOMEN WITH EPILEPSY

The influence of hormones on epilepsy is evident throughout the life course of women with epilepsy. Catamenial epilepsy is defined as increase seizure frequency with certain menstrual cycle phases. Pregnancy is a uniquely complex experience in women with epilepsy due to balancing the risks of maternal seizures to the mother and foetus with the risks of anti-seizure medications on the foetus. At the other end of the life-course, women with a history of catamenial epilepsy, seizures have been shown to increase during perimenopause and decrease at menopause.

PRECISON-BASED TREATMENT

1 in 26 people will develop epilepsy and the current “one size fits all model” is not effective for more than one third of patients who remain resistant to anti-seizure medications. Currently our anti-seizure medications do not treat the cause but rather just aim to reduce seizure burden.

Qualifications

  • Postgraduate Diploma in Diagnostic Genomics, Queensland University of Technology
  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Melbourne
  • Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery and Medical Science, The University of Queensland

Publications

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Grants

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Supervision

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Available Projects

  • Personalising Epilepsy Regimes with Stem cells and artificial Intelligence models for Superior Treatment outcomes (PERSIST)

    PERSIST, funded by the Medical Research Future Fund, is a new collaboration between the University of Queensland (QLD) and Monash University (VIC). We are now offering unique opportunities for trans-disciplinary honours/master/PhD research to students with background in neuroscience, cell biology, electrophysiology, machine learning, and clinical medicine. Students may be enrolled through either university, with opportunities to visit the other institution (depending on travel restrictions). Scholarships will be available for suitable students.

    Epilepsy affects 1 in 26 people. Patients with recurrent seizures that may cause injuries or even death. Despite the development of many new medications over the last 20 years, more than 30% of patients do not have their seizure controlled. Currently it is not possible to predict which medications, either singly or in combination, will be effective for an individual patient, and no patient can trial all possible combinations within their lifetime. Under the current paradigm, the patient is sequentially trialled on different medications, doses and combinations in the hope of eventually finding an effective regime. For the patient this protracted (often years long) journey results in substantive co-morbidity, loss of productivity and greater risk of sudden death.

    Instead of trial-and-error the PERSIST project will test a more personalised treatment strategy. The project aims to; a) use patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell derived brain organoids to identify drugs that are able to modulate hyperactive neural activity, b) create an integrated predictive model for drug selection via artificial intelligence (AI) analysis of in vitro, clinical, and genomics data sets, c) validate treatment predictions in vitro and in real-world clinical care settings. The first part of this project will involve establishment of induced pluripotent stem cell lines from drug-resistant epilepsy patient blood samples and identify anti-seizure medications (ASMs) and drug combinations that suppress hyperactive neural activity in brain organoids derived from these cell lines. The second part of the project will involve integration of novel artificial intelligence approaches to further enhance the accuracy of these personalized drug efficacy profiles by incorporating single cell gene expression data sets, clinical information, and patient genomics data.

View all Available Projects

Publications

Journal Article

Conference Publication

  • Mutations in Depdc5 Are a Major Cause of Lesional and Non-Lesional Focal Epilepsy

    Dibbens, L. M., Scheffer, I. E., Regan, B. M., Mandelstam, S., Crompton, D. E., Hodgson, B. L., Licchetta, L., Provini, F., Bisulli, F., Vadlamudi, L., Gecz, J., Connelly, A., Tinuper, P., Ricos, M. G., Berkovic, S. F. and Heron, S. E. (2014). Mutations in Depdc5 Are a Major Cause of Lesional and Non-Lesional Focal Epilepsy. 11th European Congress on Epileptology, Stockholm, Sweden, Jun 29-Jul 03, 2014. Hoboken, NJ, United States : Wiley-Blackwell Publishing. doi: 10.1111/epi.12675

  • Is benign rolandic epilepsy genetically determined?

    Vadlamudi, L., Kjeldsen, N. J., Corey, L. A., Solaas, A. H., Friis, M. L., Pellock, J. M., Nakken, K. O., Milne, R. L., Scheffer, N. E., Harvey, S. A. and Berkovic, S. F. (2004). Is benign rolandic epilepsy genetically determined?. Annual Meeting of the American Epilepsy Society, New Orleans, LA, United States, 3-7 December 2004. Hoboken, NJ, United States: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.

  • Do parasomnias and nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy share the same molecular mechanisms?

    Vadlamudi, Lata , Somerville, Ernst , Neocleous, V., Mulley, John , Bertrand, D. and Berkovic, Samuel (2003). Do parasomnias and nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy share the same molecular mechanisms? . Annual Meeting of the American Epilepsy Society, Boston, MA, United States, 5-10 December 2003.

  • Epilepsy in Twins: Insights from unique historical data of William Lennox

    Vadlamudi, Lata , Andermann, Eva , Lombroso, C. T., Schachter, S. C., Andermann, Fred and Berkovic, Samuel (2003). Epilepsy in Twins: Insights from unique historical data of William Lennox. Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, Honolulu, HI, United States, 29 March-5 April 2003.

  • William Lennox’s twin studies compared with recent data: Lessons in classification and genetics

    Vadlamudi, Lata , Andermann, Eva , Lombroso, C. T. , Schachter, S. C., Roger Milne, John Hopper, Fred Andermann and Samuel Berkovic (2003). William Lennox’s twin studies compared with recent data: Lessons in classification and genetics. Annual Meeting of the American Epilepsy Society, Boston, MA, United States, 5-10 December 2003.

  • The EEG findings in Kufs disease

    Vadlamudi, Lata , Parisi, John and Westmoreland, Barbara (2002). The EEG findings in Kufs disease. Annual Meeting of the Canadian Congress of Neurological Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 18-22 June 2002.

  • Factors underlying scalp-EEG interictal epileptiform discharges in intractable frontal lobe epilepsy.

    Vadlamudi, Lata , So, Elson , Worrell, Greg , Cascino, Greg and Lesnick, Tom (2001). Factors underlying scalp-EEG interictal epileptiform discharges in intractable frontal lobe epilepsy.. American Epilepsy Society, Philadelphia, PA, United Sates, 30 November-5 December 2001.

  • Rasmussens's Syndrome in a fifty-four year old female- More support for an adult variant

    Vadlamudi, Lata , Galton, Clare , Jeavons, Susan , Tannenberg, Anthony and Boyle, Richard (1999). Rasmussens's Syndrome in a fifty-four year old female- More support for an adult variant. Meeting of the 23rd International Epilepsy Congress, Prague, Czech Republic, 12-17 September 1999.

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

Completed Supervision

Possible Research Projects

Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.

  • Personalising Epilepsy Regimes with Stem cells and artificial Intelligence models for Superior Treatment outcomes (PERSIST)

    PERSIST, funded by the Medical Research Future Fund, is a new collaboration between the University of Queensland (QLD) and Monash University (VIC). We are now offering unique opportunities for trans-disciplinary honours/master/PhD research to students with background in neuroscience, cell biology, electrophysiology, machine learning, and clinical medicine. Students may be enrolled through either university, with opportunities to visit the other institution (depending on travel restrictions). Scholarships will be available for suitable students.

    Epilepsy affects 1 in 26 people. Patients with recurrent seizures that may cause injuries or even death. Despite the development of many new medications over the last 20 years, more than 30% of patients do not have their seizure controlled. Currently it is not possible to predict which medications, either singly or in combination, will be effective for an individual patient, and no patient can trial all possible combinations within their lifetime. Under the current paradigm, the patient is sequentially trialled on different medications, doses and combinations in the hope of eventually finding an effective regime. For the patient this protracted (often years long) journey results in substantive co-morbidity, loss of productivity and greater risk of sudden death.

    Instead of trial-and-error the PERSIST project will test a more personalised treatment strategy. The project aims to; a) use patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell derived brain organoids to identify drugs that are able to modulate hyperactive neural activity, b) create an integrated predictive model for drug selection via artificial intelligence (AI) analysis of in vitro, clinical, and genomics data sets, c) validate treatment predictions in vitro and in real-world clinical care settings. The first part of this project will involve establishment of induced pluripotent stem cell lines from drug-resistant epilepsy patient blood samples and identify anti-seizure medications (ASMs) and drug combinations that suppress hyperactive neural activity in brain organoids derived from these cell lines. The second part of the project will involve integration of novel artificial intelligence approaches to further enhance the accuracy of these personalized drug efficacy profiles by incorporating single cell gene expression data sets, clinical information, and patient genomics data.

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ORCID: 0000-0002-8742-0125

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