# Trial in China shows 92.6% drop in seizure frequency using chemogenetic therapy

- Published: 2026-11-07 15:16 UTC
- Section: Life & Health › Medicine
- Tags: chemogenetic neuromodulation, epilepsy clinical trial, GA002 viral vector, hM4D receptor, seizure frequency reduction
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-635d661e2134ebbf77e1b6ad_trial_in_china/

**An experimental chemogenetic neuromodulation approach reduced epileptic seizure frequency in three patients with drug-resistant epilepsy.**

![Trial in China shows 92.6% drop in seizure frequency using chemogenetic therapy](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/00b83c8333bf8d1c.webp)
*ua.news*

In China's first clinical trial of chemogenetic neuromodulation, researchers recorded an average 92.6% reduction in seizure frequency among three patients with drug-resistant epilepsy two months after the intervention, according to scmp.com [1]. The trial involved three men aged 28 to 37 diagnosed with mesial temporal epilepsy and hippocampal sclerosis. All participants had lived with the condition for 10 to 25 years, had failed to respond to at least two antiseizure medications, and had no prior history of epilepsy surgery.

## Vector delivery and receptor activation

Under magnetic resonance imaging guidance, surgeons administered 0.5 to 1 ml of the viral vector GA002 into the areas of hippocampal lesions [1]. The vector delivers the code for the engineered hM4D receptor, which is expressed in neurons adjacent to the affected region. The artificial receptor is designed to be selectively triggered by clozapine, an agent originally approved for treating schizophrenia.

Two weeks following the stereotactic administration, the patients initiated daily clozapine therapy while continuing their baseline antiseizure medications [1]. Binding of clozapine to the expressed hM4D receptors suppresses the abnormal electrical discharges responsible for triggering clinical seizures.

## Clinical outcomes and monitoring

Individual patient outcomes demonstrated significant decreases in seizure incidence [1]. In the first patient, monitored for 12 months, average monthly seizures declined from 4.5 to 0.5. The second patient experienced a drop from four monthly episodes to zero over an eight-month observation window. The third participant, also evaluated over eight months, saw monthly seizures decrease from 4.5 to 0.5.

No further seizures were registered in the first two participants during follow-up [1]. The third participant experienced two seizures following an unplanned interruption of clozapine intake, with seizure control restored once administration resumed. All reported adverse events remained mild or moderate. The authors noted that the intervention requires evaluation in larger clinical cohorts.

## Sources

1. [scmp.com](https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3373500/kill-switch-epilepsy-china-cuts-seizures-926-first-human-chemogenetic-trial)
2. [ua.news](https://ua.news/en/dovkolo-svitu/u-kitayi-terapiia-znizila-chastotu-napadiv-na-92-6-south-china-morning-post)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-635d661e2134ebbf77e1b6ad_trial_in_china/