EpilepsyNext ®

Identifying an underlying genetic cause for a patient's epilepsy can provide a clear diagnosis, inform personalized medical management, and identify at-risk relatives. EpilepsyNext includes 124 genes accounting for approximately 60% of patients identified to have genetic epilepsies such as Dravet syndrome, epileptic encephalopathy, non-lesional focal epilepsy, and febrile-related seizures.1 

Quick Reference
Test Code 6864
Turnaround Time (TAT) 2-4 weeks
Number of Genes 124

Ordering Options

We offer family variant testing at no additional cost

for all blood relatives of patients who undergo full single gene sequencing, multigene panel testing or exome sequencing at Ambry Genetics and are found to have a pathogenic or likely pathogenic variant. No-cost testing of blood relatives must be completed within 90 days of the original report date. Whenever possible, more closely related relatives should be tested before more distant relatives.

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Patient for Life Program

For patients undergoing this test, Ambry will continually review data for potential pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in newly characterized genes and will proactively issue reclassification reports, as applicable. Ask your Genomic Science Liaison for more details.

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Why Is This Important?

 EpilepsyNext, maximizes diagnostic yield by including the most common genes known to cause a variety of seizure types. Benefits of genetic testing for epilepsy may include:

  1. Clarifying a diagnosis and prognosis  
  2.  Availability of tailored treatment options (e.g. mTOR inhibitors for TSC1/TSC2, avoid sodium channel blockers for SCN1A)
  3.  Reduction of alternative, potentially invasive testing
  4.  Identification of at-risk family members

Test Description

Ambry Genetics neurology panels are completed via whole exome capture with targeted analysis of clinically relevant gene lists.FMR1 repeat expansion testing is not included in this test, but can be ordered concurrently. Genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (gDNA) is isolated from the patient’s specimen using a standardized methodology and quantified. Each DNA sample is sheared, adaptor ligated, PCR-amplified and incubated with the exome baits. Captured DNA is eluted, and PCR amplified. Final quantified libraries are seeded onto an Illumina flow cell and sequenced using paired-end, 150 cycle chemistry on the Illumina HiSeq or NextSeq. 

Coding exons plus at least 6 bases into the 5’ and 3’ ends of all the introns are analyzed and reported. Gross deletion/duplication analysis is assessed for all genes within the targeted exome using a custom pipeline based on coverage (>4 exons in size) and/or breakpoint analysis from NGS data and confirmed by targeted chromosomal microarray, SNP array or MLPA when applicable. CNVs detected by NGS pipeline for which no orthogonal method of confirmation is available will not be included.Variants of uncertain significance (VUS), if present, are not routinely reported, unless the ordering provider opts-in to VUS reporting at the time of ordering.

When familial samples are received, co-segregation analysis of potentially informative alterations will be performed, except for gross deletions/duplications which are confirmed in the proband only. Co-segregation results may be confounded by many factors which cannot be completely ruled out including reduced penetrance, age-of-onset, and/or variable expressivity. In most cases, phase cannot be determined

1. Ambry Genetics, internal data on file 

2. LaDuca H, Farwell KD, Vuong H, et al., 2017. PLoS ONE 12(2):e0170843

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