Therapy to prevent brain damage in strokes

Teresa Gasull Dalmau

Fundació Institut d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP), Spain

Research

Apotransferrin is a protein that has recently been shown to reduce brain damage and neurological damage in animals suffering strokes and, therefore, has potential as a new treatment for stroke patients. This new treatment is being developed as an emergency drug aimed at reducing global disability in patients with acute cerebral ischemia when administered early after symptom onset. Therefore, ATf would have an important contribution to the improvement of quality of life in stroke patients and their families.

Aim

Provide treatments that prevent damage in stroke pathology to alleviate stroke resulting disabilities and associated human suffering.

Problem to Solve

Stroke is the second cause of death and the first cause of adult serious long-term disability in industrial countries.

Worldwide, 15 million new strokes events occur each year; one-third die and one-third are left permanently disabled (including paralysis or movement problems, sensory disturbances, language problems, thinking and memory problems and emotional disturbances). The estimated direct and indirect cost of stroke for 2010 in Europe was approximately €64.1 billion.

Removing the clot which causes stroke from the affected brain artery, either using a drug known as rtPA or mechanical devices, was demonstrated to be effective in reducing brain damage. However, less than 20% of total stroke patients could benefit from these available therapies.

Innovation

ATf treatment is a new neuroprotective treatment during stroke preventing irreversible brain damage and therefore decreasing serious long-term and permanent disabilities.

Level of Innovation

The product apotransferrin represents an absolute novelty. To date, no product with neuroprotector profile exists in the market addressed to protect from stroke damage. There are other possible therapies but either with discussed efficacy or currently being tested in preclinical and/or clinical trials.

A reduction in the stroke damage using an easy-to-use therapy such intravenous administration of a single dose of apotransferrin could be used in non-developed countries and will reach benefit and social impact worldwide. At the moment, current stroke therapies require costly in vivo imaging techniques not supported by most Health systems in undeveloped countries worldwide.