Borges Group - Neurological disorders and metabolism

Doctor Karin Borges, Head of the Neurological Disorders and Metabolism Laboratory, studied Biology in at the University of Freiburg (Germany). Studying glutamate receptors in glial cells, she received a PhD in Neurobiology at Heidelberg University in 1994. She continued her education as a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Pharmacology at Emory University studying the regulation of transcription of the glutamate receptor subunits, GluR1 and GluR4.

Since 2001, she has been interested in the morphological and functional changes involved in the development epilepsy as an instructor at Emory University, then as Assistant Professor at Texas Tech University (2005-2008) and since 2009 at UQ. Her long-term goal is to find new treatments for neurological disorders, including metabolic and anti-inflammatory approaches. To this end she has been receiving several grants from NHMRC, US philanthropic foundations and pharmaceutical industry for her laboratory work and clinical trials of her findings.

She has applied for several patents regarding triheptanoin as a new treatment for epilepsy and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis(ALS)/Motore Neuron Disease (licensed). Currently, the laboratory is investigating the specific biochemical impairments in energy metabolism in epilepsy and ALS with the goal to develop scientifically validated new treatment approaches that target these specific impairments.   

• Borges K (2016) Triheptanoin in epilepsy and beyond. Chapter 34 in Ketogenic Diet and Metabolic Therapies: Expanded Roles in Health and Disease. Editor Susan A.Masino, Oxford University Press
• Tefera TW, Wong Y, Barkl-Luke ME, Ngo ST, Thomas NK, McDonald TS, Borges K (2016) Triheptanoin protect motor neurons and delays symptom onset in a mouse model of ALS model. PLOS One, 11 (8) e0161816.
• Tan, KN, Carrasco-Pozo, C, Borges K (2016) Tridecanoin is anticonvulsant, antioxidant and improves mitochondrial function. J Cereb Blood Flow &  Metabol, epub
• Carrasco-Pozo, C, Tan, KN, Reyes-Farias, M. De La Lara, N, Ngo, ST, Garcia-Diaz, DF, Llanos, P, Cires, MJ,  Borges K (2016) The deleterious effect of cholesterol and protection by quercetin on mitochondrial bioenergetics of pancreatic β-cells, glycemic control and inflammation: In vitro and in vivo studies. Redox Biology 9: 229-243
• Benson, Melissa J., Manzanero, Silvia and Borges, Karin (2015) Complex alterations in microglial M1/M2 markers during the development of epilepsy in two mouse models. Epilepsia, 56 6: 895-905. doi:10.1111/epi.12960
• Benson, Melissa J, Thomas, Nicola K, Talwar, Sahil, Hodson, Mark P, Lynch, Joseph W, Woodruff, Trent M and Borges, Karin (2015) A novel anticonvulsant mechanism via inhibition of complement receptor C5ar1 in murine epilepsy models. Neurobiology of Disease, 76 87-97. doi:10.1016/j.nbd.2015.02.004
• Ngo, Shyuan T., Steyn, Frederik J., McCombe, Pamela A. and Borges, Karin (2015). High Caloric diets for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In Ronald Ross Watson and Victor R. Preedy (Ed.), Bioactive nutraceuticals and dietary supplements in neurological and brain disease: prevention and therapy(pp. 355-361) London, United Kingdom: Academic Press. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-411462-3.00036-9
• Tan, Kah Ni, McDonald, Tanya S. and Borges, Karin (2015). Metabolic dysfunctions in epilepsy and novel metabolic treatment approaches. InRonald R Watson and Victor R Preedy (Ed.), Bioactive Nutraceuticals and Dietary Supplements in Neurological and Brain Disease: Prevention and Therapy (pp. 461-470) Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Elsevier. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-411462-3.00048-5
• Hadera, Mussie G., Smeland, Olav B., McDonald, Tanya S., Tan, Kah Ni, Sonnewald, Ursula and Borges, Karin (2014) Triheptanoin partially restores levels of tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates in the mouse pilocarpine model of epileps. Journal of Neurochemistry, 129 1: 107-119. doi:10.1111/jnc.12610
• McDonald, Tanya S., Tan, Kah Ni, Hodson, Mark P. and Borges, Karin (2014) Alterations of hippocampal glucose metabolism by even versus uneven medium chain triglycerides. Journal Of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, 34 1: 153-160. doi:10.1038/jcbfm.2013.184
• Smeland, Olav B., Hadera, Mussie G., McDonald, Tanya S., Sonnewald, Ursula and Borges, Karin (2013) Brain mitochondrial metabolic dysfunction and glutamate level reduction in the pilocarpine model of temporal lobe epilepsy in mice. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, 33 7:1090-1097. doi:10.1038/jcbfm.2013.54
• Kim, Tae Hwan, Borges, Karin, Petrou, Steven and Reid, Christopher A. (2013) Triheptanoin reduces seizure susceptibility in a syndrome-specific mouse model of generalized epilepsy. Epilepsy Research, 103 1: 101-105. doi:10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2012.09.016
• Borges, Karin and Sonnewald, Ursula (2012) Triheptanoin - a medium chain triglyceride with odd chain fatty acids: a new anaplerotic anticonvulsant treatment?. Epilepsy Research, 100 3: 239-244. doi:10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2011.05.023
• Smeland, Olav B., Meisingset, Tore W., Borges, Karin and Sonnewald, Ursula (2012) Chronic acetyl-L-carnitine alters brain energy metabolism and increases noradrenaline and serotonin content in healthy mice. Neurochemistry International, 61 1: 100-107. doi:10.1016/j.neuint.2012.04.008
• Nicola, Thomas K., Willis, Sarah, Sweetman, Lawrence and Borges, Karin (2012) Triheptanoin in acute mouse seizure models. Epilepsy Research,99 3: 312-317. doi:10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2011.12.013
• Samala, Ramakrishna, Klein, Jochen and Borges, Karin (2011) The ketogenic diet changes metabolite levels in hippocampal extracellular fluid.Neurochemistry International, 58 1: 5-8. doi:10.1016/j.neuint.2010.10.011
• Willis, Sarah, Stoll, James, Sweetman, Lawrence and Borges, Karin (2010) Anticonvulsant effects of a triheptanoin diet in two mouse chronic seizure models. Neurobiology of Disease, 40 3: 565-572. doi:10.1016/j.nbd.2010.07.017
• Greene, James G., Borges, Karin and Dingledine, Raymond (2009) Quantitative transcriptional neuroanatomy of the rat hippocampus: Evidence for wide-ranging, pathway-specific heterogeneity among three principal cell layers. Hippocampus, 19 3: 253-264. doi:10.1002/hipo.20502
• Borges, Karin (2008) Mouse models: The ketogenic diet and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Epilepsia, 49 s8: 64-66. doi:10.1111/j.1528-1167.2008.01838.x
• Samala, Ramakrishna, Willis, Sarah and Borges, Karin (2008) Anticonvulsant profile of a balanced ketogenic diet in acute mouse seizure models.Epilepsy Research, 81 2-3: 119-127. doi:10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2008.05.001
• Borges, Karin, Shaw, Renee and Dingledine, Raymond (2007) Gene expression changes after seizure preconditioning in the three major hippocampal cell layers. Neurobiology of Disease, 26 1: 66-77. doi:10.1016/j.nbd.2006.12.001
• Borges, Karin, Gearing, Marla, McDermott, Dayna L., Smith, Amy B., Almonte, Antoine G., Wainer, Bruce H. and Dingledine, Raymond (2003)Neuronal and glial pathological changes during epileptogenesis in the mouse pilocarpine model. Experimental Neurology, 182 1: 21-34. doi:10.1016/S0014-4886(03)00086-4

2013-2017 Thrasher Award - Clinical trial of add-on triheptanoin in children with medically refractory epilepsy

2013-2015 NHMRC - A new metabolic approach to treat epilepsy and stroke

2012-2015 Epilepsy Therapy Project - Clinical trial of add-on triheptanoin in adults with medically refractory epilepsy

2010-2012 NHMRC - Complement activation in experimental epilepsy: role of C5a receptors

2009-2011 NIH - The role of ketones in the anticonvulsant mechanism of the ketogenic diet

2008-2009 CURE (Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy) - Anaplerosis as a new treatment for epilepsy

• Society for Neuroscience, member since 1995
• American Epilepsy Society, member since 2001
• Epilepsy Society Australia, member since 2009
• Australian Neuroscience Society, member since 2010
• Epilepsy Queensland, member since 2011

To donate to Dr Borges' research please click here.

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Your support is greatly appreciated and will help us to develop new treatments for neurological disorders, including epilepsy and ALS.