Biology of Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (BIOJUME)

August 28, 2025 updated by: King's College London
The investigators are collecting genetic information through blood samples as well as clinical and EEG data from over 1000 people with Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (JME) across the UK, Europe and North America. This study will draw on both existing and new samples from JME patients. These will be compared to anonymised data from samples for 2000 controls. The goal of this study is to find the genetic cause of JME. Finding the cause will help create better treatments for JME, as well as improve patient outcomes by allowing us to detect it earlier.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder affecting 1% of the population. There are over 30 types of epilepsy, some common, some rare. Most epilepsies arise in childhood and have a genetic cause. Approximately 40% of patients have the common forms of Genetic Generalised Epilepsy (GGE), and the commonest GGE is "Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy" or JME.

The goal of this study is to find the genetic cause for JME. The investigators will do this by comparing the genetic code in JME patients with that in people who do not have epilepsy. This study will use clues from their electroencephalograph or brainwave test that is used to help diagnose epilepsy. Participants will provide a single blood sample, along with permission to collect clinical data about their diagnosis and a copy of their clinical EEG. There is no direct benefit or risk to the research participants but the results from this study may help other people with epilepsy or brain impairments in the future.

There is overwhelming evidence that JME is caused by changes in genetic code. These changes are likely to be found in more than just one gene and there may be more than one type of change. In order to find these changes, this study will look at a large number of people with JME and compare their genetic code with people who do not have epilepsy. Finding the causes of JME will lead to better understanding of its cause, new treatments, and tailoring of treatments according to a person's genetic make-up.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
1000

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Ontario
      • Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 0A4
        • Recruiting
        • Hospital for Sick Kids
        • Contact:
          • Dr Lisa Strug
  • Czechia
      • Prague, Czechia, 116 36
        • Recruiting
        • Charles University
        • Contact:
          • Dr Jana Zarubova
  • Denmark
      • Dianalund, Denmark, 4293
        • Recruiting
        • Danish National Epilepsy Centre
        • Contact:
          • Dr Helle Hialgrim
        • Contact:
          • Dr Rikke Moller
  • Estonia
      • Tallinn, Estonia, 13419
        • Recruiting
        • Tallinn Children's Hospital
        • Contact:
          • Dr Inga Talvik
  • France
      • Paris, France, 75019
        • Recruiting
        • University Robert Debré
        • Contact:
          • Professor Stephane Auvin
  • Italy
      • Roma, Italy, 00198
        • Recruiting
        • Commissione Genetica Lega Italiana contro l'Epilepssia
        • Contact:
          • Dr Amedeo Bianchi
        • Contact:
          • Dr Pasquale Striano
  • Norway
      • Drammen, Norway, 3004
        • Recruiting
        • Vestre Viken Health Trust, Oslo
        • Contact:
          • Dr Jeanette Koht
        • Contact:
          • Dr Kaja Selmer
  • United Kingdom
      • Liverpool, United Kingdom, L9 7LJ
        • Recruiting
        • Walton Centre For Neurology And Neurosurgery
        • Contact:
          • Professor Anthony Marson
      • London, United Kingdom, E1 1BZ
        • Recruiting
        • Royal London Hospital
        • Contact:
          • Maha Awadalla
      • London, United Kingdom, SE1 9HT
        • Recruiting
        • St Thomas' Hospital
        • Contact:
          • Professor Michalis Koutroumanidis
      • London, United Kingdom, SE5 9RS
        • Recruiting
        • King's College Hospital NHS Trust
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
          • Deb K Pal
      • Swansea, United Kingdom, SA2 8PP
        • Recruiting
        • Swansea University
        • Contact:
          • Professor Mark Rees
        • Contact:
          • Dr Rhys Thomas
  • United States
    • New York
      • New York, New York, United States, 10003
        • Completed
        • Mount Sinai-Beth Israel Medical Center
      • New York, New York, United States, 10025
        • Completed
        • St Luke's Roosevelt Hospital
    • Ohio
      • Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43125
        • Completed
        • Nationwide Children's Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

10 years to 40 years (Child, Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

People in the UK, Europe, and North America with a diagnosis of Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy in accordance with Consensus criteria

    • Age of myoclonus onset 10-25 years
    • Seizures comprising predominant or exclusive early morning myoclonus of upper extremities
    • EEG interictal generalized spikes and/or polyspike and waves with normal background
  • Current age 10-40 years

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Myoclonus only associated with carbamazepine or lamotrigine therapy
  • EEG showing predominant focal interictal epileptiform discharges or abnormal background
  • Any evidence of progressive or symptomatic myoclonus epilepsy or focal seizures
  • Global learning disability
  • Dysmorphic syndrome
  • Unable to provide informed consent

Regrettably, we are currently unable to accept self-referrals to the BIOJUME study.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: Case-Control
  • Time Perspectives: Other

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Patients diagnosed with JME
People who meet the eligibility requirements and have been diagnosed with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy.
Other: Blood draw
Participation includes one visit for one blood draw per recruited patient. 10-20ml peripheral venous blood will be taken from the antecubital fossa. The DNA from the blood sample will then be extracted and resequenced for analysis.
Controls
People without a lifetime history of seizures.
Other: Existing samples
Control DNA samples will be used that have been previously acquired in other studies.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Genomewide DNA association study
Time Frame: Day 1
Association between SNP marker and phenotype is measured using genomewide DNA markers, which enables us to test support for molecular networks that act on seizure susceptibility
Day 1

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Quantitative EEG endophenotype
Time Frame: Day 1
Brain network ictogenicity is measured using quantitative EEG data
Day 1

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
King's College London

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
King's College Hospital NHS Trust
Charles University, Czech Republic
Hopital Universitaire Robert-Debre
Vestre Viken Hospital Trust
The Hospital for Sick Children
Cardiff University
Odense University Hospital

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: K Pal, MD PhD, King's College London

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 13, 2017

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 30, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 20, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 12, 2018

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 17, 2018

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 5, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 28, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 199351
  • CIHR ID: MOP-142405 (Other Grant/Funding Number: Canadian Institutes of Health Research)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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