Chemogenetic gene therapy cuts seizures by more than 90% in a small epilepsy trial

4 November 2026

Three people with drug-resistant epilepsy saw their monthly seizures fall by more than 90% after an experimental gene therapy, Nature reports.
Viruses carrying a gene were infused into the small patch of brain tissue where each person's seizures began.
The gene makes neurons respond to a specific drug, which then acts like a dimmer switch on the therapy.
Combining gene therapy with a drug in this way is called chemogenetics, and it lets doctors adjust the strength of treatment.
The results were reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by a team from Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University in Beijing.
No serious side effects were seen, though experts caution that the trial was very small.