Welcome to the website of the Australian Epilepsy Clinical Trials Network (AECTN). The AECTN is a national collaboration of clinicians, researchers, and consumer advocates committed to advancing epilepsy care through high-quality, patient-centered clinical trials.
Our mission is to accelerate the development and delivery of effective, evidence-based therapies for people living with epilepsy across Australia.
Epilepsy affects over 250,000 Australians and remains one of the most common – and often most challenging – neurological conditions to treat. Despite advances, many individuals continue to experience uncontrolled seizures and significant comorbidities. The AECTN aims to change this by supporting and coordinating innovative clinical trials that explore new treatments, technologies, and models of care.
Our Network falls under the governance of the Epilepsy Society of Australia, Australia’s Chapter of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE). It brings together Australia’s leading academic epilepsy clinical trials centers (adult and paediatric), fostering collaboration, improving trial access for patients, and ensuring that promising discoveries are rapidly translated into improved patient outcomes. We also place strong emphasis on consumer engagement, recognising that the voices and lived experience of people with epilepsy must guide our research priorities and practices.
About Us
Chair of the AECTN:
“ The AECTN was established with the aim of facilitating and coordinating epilepsy clinical trials in Australia, covering both industry-funded and investigator driven research.
The purpose of this network is not only to attract more clinical trials into Australia, but to encourage interest and participation in the activities of the Network among clinicians and other healthcare professionals.
We pride ourselves in providing support to clinicians and other healthcare professionals in performing clinical trials, facilitating communication between academic epilepsy centers concerning new and ongoing trials, and providing a professional interface between academic epilepsy trialists and the pharmaceutical industry. “
– The Founder, and current Chair of the AECTN, Professor Terence (Terry) O’Brien.
Deputy Chairs of the AECTN:
Our Members
AECTN Member Centers (Adult)
AECTN Member Centers (Paediatric)
Our network is made up of the best Australian Epilepsy doctors. There are many doctors between all our sites that help recruit patients into the trials run by the AECTN. If your epileptologist or a medical professional you know is affiliated with one of our hospitals listed above, please reach out as they are most likely involved in our trials.
The network also proudly houses the dedicated research nurses, trial coordinators, start-up teams and all support staff whose hard work behind the scenes make our clinical trials possible. Without their commitment and care, our trials would not run as smoothly, nor succeed as well as they do – and for that we are deeply grateful.
Information for Sponsors
The process of the AECTN:
Services the AECTN provides to our clients, for both Commercial and Investigator-Led Trials:
- Feasibility
- Connection with Appropriate Sites
- Protocol Reviews and Feedback
- Multi-Site Budget Negotiations for sites within the AECTN
- Advertising within the AECTN
Sponsor facing documents: (buttons that will open a new tab showing the document)
Consumers
Current Trials Partnered with the AECTN
Commercial Trials
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
Investigator-Led Trials
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
FAQs
How to work with the AECTN on your Clinical Trial
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Contact Us
If you would like to get in contact with the AECTN to potentially work with us on your Clinical Trial, please complete the below form. Additionally, any questions or concerns relating the network can also be submitted here.
We endeavor to respond to all enquiries as quickly as possible. Please allow 2 business days for a response.
The AECTN Team
