Epilepsy Neurogenetics Initiative (ENGIN)
The Epilepsy Neurogenetics Initiative (ENGIN) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) integrates genetic testing into the diagnosis and treatment of children with difficult-to-treat or unexplained epilepsies, and provides access to expert care for children with genetic epilepsy syndromes and other genetic neurodevelopmental disorders. As part of CHOP's Neuroscience Center, we combine cutting-edge clinical care and advanced genetic testing with innovative research to identify the genetic variants causing a child’s epilepsy and develop an individualized approach to treatment and management. Through ENGIN, your child will have access to a full range of epilepsy therapies, including medication, dietary treatment and epilepsy surgery.
Since its launch in 2019, ENGIN has evaluated thousands of children with epilepsy and has identified a clear underlying genetic cause for hundreds of patients and families. Establishing a genetic diagnosis can have meaningful implications not only for the child with epilepsy, but also for the whole family.
Why Choose Us?
As part of CHOP's Neuroscience Center, the Epilepsy Neurogenetics Initiative (ENGIN) is committed to providing comprehensive and individualized care for children with epilepsy. We are leaders in the field of epilepsy genetics and offer every child seen in our program unparalleled access to diagnostic genetic testing, an individualized treatment plan, and enrollment in our innovative research studies.
Who We Treat
Any child with epilepsy may be eligible for referral to our program. Your path will depend primarily on whether or not the child already has a diagnosis in hand. We provide genetic evaluation for patients who have never had any genetic testing, provide expert consultation for patients with an established diagnosis, and provide evaluation of genetic findings obtained previously for which the meaning is uncertain. No matter what, we are here to help and guide you to the right place.
Who we treat
Our Team
When your child is seen in our ENGIN clinic, their core care team will include an attending pediatric neurologist and genetic counselor who specialize in genetic epilepsies and neurogenetic disorders, as well as physical and occupational therapists. Depending on your child’s personalized treatment plan, they may also see neurosurgeons, research coordinators, cardiologists, gastroenterologists, neuro-ophthalmologists, social workers, psychologists and other specialists, all of whom have experience treating children with genetic epilepsies.