The Curing the Epilepsies conference has been held approximately every seven years since the first one in 2000. The initial conference was established with the help of CURE Epilepsy, with governmental funding agencies, professional societies, and other patient advocates also contributing. As in the past, the 2021 conference included stakeholders such as clinicians, researchers, and especially patients and caregivers, to review scientific discoveries and transformative research priorities with the ultimate goals of 1) curing epilepsy with no side effects and 2) preventing epilepsy in people at risk. Research progress, documented in an editorial recently published in the journal Epilepsy Currents [1], has led to an enhanced understanding of:

• epileptogenesis, the processes by which epilepsy develops
• increased risk of premature death, especially from sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP)
• epilepsy-associated comorbidities such as depression
• technologically based diagnostics, especially in neuroimaging and genetic testing
• non-pharmacological treatment options, particularly for surgery and implantable devices for treating seizures [1].