New Drug Stops Stroke Damage to Brain
Injection has potential to prevent brain damage in majority of human
stroke patients
TORONTO, Oct. 24 /CNW/ - A team of researchers have developed a promising
new drug that, when given to animals, immediately stops brain damage caused by
stroke. Encouraged by this discovery, researchers at Toronto Western Hospital,
The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto and University of
British Columbia are hopeful that with further investigation, this same drug
will serve as an effective treatment for people who experience a stroke.
In a new study, published in the October 25 issue of the scientific
journal Science, researchers reveal that the drug, when administered to rats
either before or within one hour after the onset of stroke symptoms, stopped
the damage that occurs during a stroke.
According to the co-principal investigator, Dr. Michael Tymianski, senior
scientist in the Toronto Western Hospital Research Institute, Krembil
Neuroscience Centre, "To date, we have not encountered any adverse long-term
effects of the drug, and all our data show that the drug is more effective in
preventing stroke than any method that has every been used in animals or
humans."
Dr. Tymianski, an associate professor in the Departments of Surgery
(Neurosurgery) and Physiology at the University of Toronto, cautions that it
may be some time before human trials begin. "At this stage, we still need to
determine the long-term effects of the drug. We could see this research used
in human trials within the next few years."
"The drug works by preventing the negative consequences of the over
stimulation of the NMDA receptors in the brain that are involved in strokes.
However, it doesn't block the normal important functions of these receptors,
making this a possible practical stroke therapy," said Dr. Michael Salter, co-
principal investigator of this study, a senior scientist at The Hospital for
Sick Children, and a professor of Physiology at the University of Toronto.
The drug was developed by Dr. Tymianski in collaboration with Dr. Salter,
Dr. Yu Tian Wang, professor and HHMI International Scholar, chair in Stroke
Research, Brain Research Centre and Department of Medicine, Vancouver Hospital
and University of British Columbia , and Dr. James Gurd, professor of
biochemistry at the University of Toronto at Scarborough.
This research was supported in part by the U.S. National Institutes of
Health, the Canadian Stroke Network, which is based at the University of
Ottawa, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Heart and Stroke
Foundation of Ontario.
"A Canadian suffers a stroke every 10 minutes, and the World Health
Organization estimates that in the next 15 years, worldwide, stroke will be
the disease with the fourth largest negative impact," says Dr. Antoine Hakim,
CEO and Scientific Director of the Canadian Stroke Network. "Research such as
this is essential to lessen the impact of stroke on individuals, their
families and on society as a whole."
Toronto Western Hospital is a member of the University Health Network
(UHN). Building on the strengths and reputation of each of our three
remarkable hospitals; Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital and
Princess Margaret Hospital, UHN brings together the talent and resources
needed to achieve global impact and provide exemplary patient care. For more
information please visit www.uhn.ca .
The Hospital for Sick Children, affiliated with the University of
Toronto, is Canada's most research-intensive hospital and the largest centre
dedicated to improving children's health in the country. Its mission is to
provide the best in family-centred, compassionate care, to lead in scientific
and clinical advancement, and to prepare the next generation of leaders in
child health. For more information, please visit www.sickkids.ca.
The University of Toronto, Canada's leading research university with
60,000 students, is celebrating its 175th anniversary in 2002. On March 15,
1827, King's College - precursor to the University of Toronto - was granted
its royal charter by King George IV. The university now comprises 31
divisions, colleges and faculties on three campuses, including 14 professional
faculties, numerous research centres and Canada's largest university library
system - the fifth largest research library in North America. For more
information, please visit www.utoronto.ca.
University of British Columbia researchers, who conduct more than 4,000
investigations annually, attracted $260 million in research funding in
2001/2002. For more information, visit the website at www.ubc.ca. |
