Discussion on CNS Elterman Research Grant: Joseph Vithayathil, MD

Joseph Vithayathil, MD, attending neurologist in the Division of Neurology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, has been awarded the 2025 Pediatric Epilepsy Research Foundation (PERF) CNS Elterman Research Grant. The $150,000 award, distributed over two years, supports early-career child neurologists or developmental pediatricians conducting innovative research in neuroscience across the United States and Canada.

Vithayathil’s project explores the mechanisms of iron accumulation in the brain, particularly in the context of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury—a condition commonly treated by pediatric neurologists. His work aims to uncover how iron dysregulation contributes to brain injury and how targeting these mechanisms could lead to new neuroprotective treatments.

“I became curious about how that whole mechanism of iron accumulation occurred, and what role it might be playing in different neurologic disorders,” said Vithayathil. “That inspired me to start looking at that in the context of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury, which is one of the more common conditions that we see and treat as neurologists.”

With support from the PERF grant, Vithayathil will conduct experiments to identify cell-specific mechanisms that mediate iron dysregulation following ischemic injury. “The funds will be used to help do some of these initial experiments that will be looking for changes in cell-specific gene expression of iron-related proteins, and then also knocking those out or manipulating those genes in animal models,” he explained.

Beyond understanding neonatal injury, Vithayathil’s research may have wider implications for neurological and neuroinflammatory diseases. “These pathways that regulate iron metabolism aren’t just affected in hypoxic-ischemic brain injury,” he noted. “We can see it in lots of other disorders, including neuroinflammatory and genetic disorders.”

Through this work, Vithayathil hopes to identify potential therapeutic targets that could protect brain tissue after injury. “Ultimately, what I’m hoping to identify is a class of therapeutics that might be neuroprotective,” he said.

The PERF CNS Elterman Research Grant recognizes early-career investigators whose work demonstrates promise for advancing understanding and treatment of pediatric neurological conditions.

Reference:

Our research grants. Pediatric Epilepsy Research Foundation. Accessed October 8, 2025. https://www.pediatricepilepsyresearchfoundation.org/grants/our-current-grants/