u of c medical trial discovers drug that could protect brain cells after a stroke
by newsroom staff researchers at the university of calg...
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a medical trial led by the university of calgary's cumming school of medicine has found a potential new way to prevent permanent brain damage in stroke patients.
gavin young
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by newsroom staff
researchers at the university of calgary may have made a breakthrough in stroke treatment that could see patients’ brain cells preserved in the minutes after a stroke.
a double-blind randomized trial led by the cumming school of medicine’s hotchkiss brain institute and alberta health services looked at the use of an experimental neuroprotective drug called nerinetide.
some stroke patients received the drug in addition to a clot-busting drug called alteplase before undergoing an endovascular treatment to remove the clot.
in another scenario, patients who weren’t able to take alteplase still received the experimental nerinetide before their endovascular treatment.
“compared to placebo, almost 20 per cent more patients who received nerinetide along with endovascular treatment, but did not receive alteplase, recovered from a devastating stroke — a difference between paralysis and walking out of the hospital,†said dr. michael hill in a news release from the u of c.
he said in patients who received both drugs, the alteplase appeared to negate the effectiveness of nerinetide.
nerinetide targets the final stage of the brain cell’s life by stopping the production of nitric oxide within the cell.
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“we really believe this is a new scientific observation,†said hill. “there is evidence nerinetide promotes brain cell survival, offering neuroprotection until we can extract the clot. it opens the door to a new way of treating stroke.â€
the international trial had 1,105 patients between march 2017 and august 2019 at centres in north america, europe, australia and asia. the results of the trial were published thursday in the lancet, a medical journal.
“after so many studies investigating neuroprotective drugs failed, we are extremely excited by these results,†said dr. mayank goyal, a neuroradiologist at the foothills medical centre and clinical professor in the department of radiology at the cumming school of medicine, in a press release.
“while nerinetide is not approved for use yet, it shows the potential of a new tool to promote recovery from stroke.â€
on average, one person suffers a stroke every nine minutes in canada. approximately 15 million people worldwide suffer a stroke each year.
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