Neuroprotection
by Targeting inflammation
Ischemic stroke represents 86% of all the strokes. Caused by the occlusion of brain arteries (primarily large vessels), ischemic strokes induce handicaps that severely affect patients’ lives, and are the leading cause of adult disability and the second most frequent cause of death worldwide. To date, only therapies focused on the recanalization of occluded arteries have been approved (tPA and mechanical thrombectomy). However, only a small number of ischemic stroke patients are eligible for these treatments, and 70% of the treated patients end with moderate to severe disabilities or die. The remaining ischemic stroke patients (around 85%) do not have any available treatments. New methods to increase the number of patients eligible for pharmacological and mechanical recanalization are continuously being investigated.
Beyond recanalization therapies, there is a clear and urgent need for the development of neuroprotective drugs to prevent and minimize brain injury in ischemic stroke patients.
Accumulating evidence indicates that inflammation holds a central role in all aspects of stroke, including its initiation and the progression of brain injury. Therefore, targeting neuroinflammation appears to be a promising therapeutic strategy for mitigating the damage caused by stroke.