Epilepsy and Epileptic Seizures

Warren B. Lammert has served as portfolio manager and chief investment officer of Granite Point Capital since founding the Boston, Massachusetts, company in 2004. Warren Lammert also serves as a board member with FACES (Finding a Cure to Epilepsy and Seizures at NYU). He has led and been involved with organizations dealing with epilepsy since founding Epilepsy.com in 2001.

Epilepsy is a long-term, fairly common brain condition that manifests as sudden surges of electricity in the brain. These electrical bursts cause people to experience seizures. Different types of epilepsy lead to different types of seizures, which can impact the brain in various ways.

For example, generalized epilepsy results in generalized seizures. Not all generalized seizures are motor (that is, involving physical movements). That said, sudden muscle twitches, spasms, and other erratic movements can accompany generalized seizures. Non-motor generalized seizures, on the other hand, feature little movement beyond minor twitches and fluttering eyelids.

By comparison, people living with focal epilepsy experience focal seizures, which begin as a slightly nauseous feeling in the stomach. As symptoms progress, they can take the form of motor and non-motor seizures, though the seizures differ from those observed in people living with generalized epilepsy. Focal motor seizures sometimes consist of repeated movements, such as chewing or clapping, while symptoms of focal non-motor seizures range from waves of heat and cold throughout the body to a sudden change in emotions and thoughts.

Other individuals may live with combined generalized and focal epilepsy, or even unknown forms of epilepsy. Unsurprisingly, the latter can result in symptoms known as unknown seizures.

AES Prepares for 2022 Annual Meeting

Warren B. Lammert established Granite Point Capital in 2004 and continues to drive operations as the chief investment officer and portfolio manager. Furthermore, Warren Lammert is the co-founder of Epilepsy.com, a former member of the Epilepsy Foundation board of directors, and a current board member of FACES (Finding a Cure for Epilepsy and Seizures at NYU). He also engages with epilepsy organizations such as the American Epilepsy Society. The American Epilepsy Society (AES) will host the AES 2022 Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, between December 2 and 6. The meeting will serve as a gathering for professionals from a diverse range of industries and jobs, including health care professionals, scientists, business leaders, and advocates for epilepsy awareness and research. The 2022 meeting will focus on discussions about emerging science and high-quality medical education opportunities. Furthermore, close to 130 vendors will present the latest in diagnostic tools and treatment options. Those interested in attending the meeting can visit aesnet.org to learn about registration. The AES website also contains a catalog of abstracts from all past meetings, as well as sample lectures attendees can use to give themselves an idea of the quality and manner of information provided.

Genetic Mutation and Diseases

The founder, CIO, and CEO of Granite Point Capital, Warren Lammert, is a financial professional and portfolio manager who launched his financial career in 1984 as a research associate with Fred Alger Management in New York City. Leveraging his entrepreneurial experience, Warren B Lammert co-founded Tevard Biosciences, a company that studies gene therapies for Dravet syndrome and other rare genetic diseases.

While not all gene mutations result in disease, some debilitating diseases have been linked to a genetic mutation. A mutation is an abnormal alteration in the genetic makeup of an organism. Genes are expressed in cells when the specific arrangement of nucleotide bases (called codons) results in a definite sequence of amino acids, which results in a secondary protein structure.

Proteins carry out the function of the gene. In the case of mutation, the genetic sequence has changed, and the resulting protein may be different from what's supposed to be expressed. This change can be inconsequential, positive, or negative. If the change is negative, a genetic disease arises.

There are multiple debilitating diseases with subtypes that occur due to genetic mutations. Typical examples are cystic fibrosis, spinal muscular atrophy, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Cancers and certain metabolic disorders are also consequences of genetic mutations.