Get the clinical trials ramped up, saving penumbral neurons is at least as important as preventing strokes in the first place. I bet it could have saved half of my dead brain.
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120821005439/en/University-Glasgow-Study-Demonstrates-Ability-Oxycyte%C2%AE-Supply
Results presented at 2012 Gordon Conference on Brain Metabolism
Energy & Blood Flow
Oxygen Biotherapeutics, Inc. (“OBI”) (NASDAQ: OXBT) announced today that
recent research conducted by its partner, Aurum Biosciences (“Aurum”),
Glasgow, Scotland, has shown that Oxycyte®, OBI’s proprietary
perfluorocarbon-based intravenous emulsion, improves imaging of the
penumbra following acute ischemic stroke in a rat model. The penumbra is
the region of the brain where blood supply is inadequate to support
normal brain function but sufficient to maintain tissue viability for a
limited period of time following stroke. It represents potentially
salvageable tissue which, if the oxygen supply can be restored, could
lead to improved functional outcomes for stroke patients.
In the clinical management of stroke, it is important to accurately
identify patients with potentially salvageable penumbral tissue. The
development of neuroprotective agents continues to be complicated due to
the absence of accurate diagnostic imaging as patients with no
remaining penumbra are enrolled in clinical trials. The gold standard
for identification of penumbra based on metabolism is PET; however, this
technique has low resolution and involves injection of radioisotopes,
making it impractical as a routine clinical tool. Aurum scientists have
been working for a number of years to develop a rapid and sensitive
MRI-based diagnostic technique.
Aurum’s T2* Oxygen Challenge (OC) MRI imaging technique is based
on conversion of deoxyhemoglobin to oxyhemoglobin, a change made
possible by Oxycyte’s ability to provide oxygen into areas otherwise
inaccessible to red blood cells. The use of Oxycyte allows for greater
efficiency in oxygen delivery, reducing the OC from 100% to 50% oxygen,
thus avoiding potential toxicities associated with 100% oxygen
inhalation. This work, conducted by researchers at the University of
Glasgow Institute of Neuroscience & Psychology, was presented at the
prestigious Gordon Research Conference on Brain Metabolism Energy &
Blood Flow held at Colby College in Waterville, Maine on August 11-12,
2012.
The development of this improved diagnostic technique paves the way for
follow-on research by Aurum scientists, in accord with a research
agreement in place between Aurum Biosciences and Oxygen Biotherapeutics,
to investigate the therapeutic potential of Oxycyte in the treatment of
acute ischemic stroke. Planned preclinical studies will investigate the
use of Oxycyte combined with normobaric hyperoxia to improve oxygen
delivery to the ischemic brain tissue, limiting brain damage and
extending the lifespan of potentially salvageable penumbra thereby
increasing the therapeutic time window for thrombolytic therapy. The use
of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) thrombolytic therapy
is currently the only licensed therapeutic option for ischemic stroke
but few patients ( less than 5%) present early enough to receive treatment.
Timothy Bradshaw, Ph.D., Executive Vice President of Drug Development at
OBI said, “We are excited by the data coming out of our partnership with
Aurum Biosciences. Based on our clinical studies in traumatic brain
injury, we already know of Oxycyte’s ability to supply oxygen to badly
injured tissues. Developing the product for acute ischemic stroke is a
rather obvious extension of that work. While there is still much to be
done, the possibility of neurologists having both a diagnostic tool and
an interventional drug in the same product is going to garner the
attention of the medical community.”
Added Gerry McGettigan, Chief Executive Officer of Aurum: “This is
another important piece of data to add to our growing body of evidence
supporting the combined use of Oxycyte and Aurum’s MRI techniques in the
management of acute stroke. We look forward to completing the research
and preclinical development work with our colleagues at OBI, and moving
towards clinical trials at the earliest opportunity.”
Acute Ischemic Stroke
An ischemic stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and
nutrients to a particular region of the brain is blocked by a clot. Once
this event happens, the affected part of the brain cannot get the oxygen
it needs and, therefore, begins to die. The objective of all stroke
treatments is to salvage as much of the surrounding ischemic penumbra as
possible, the region of potentially viable tissue with critically low
blood flow and oxygen supply. This could result in improved functional
capacity in the stroke patient.
According to the American Stroke Association, approximately 795,000
Americans each year suffer a new or recurrent stroke. That means, on
average, a stroke occurs every 40 seconds. Stroke kills more than
137,000 people a year in the United States alone and is the third
leading cause of death behind diseases of the heart and cancer. On
average, every 4 minutes someone dies of stroke. About 40 percent of
stroke deaths occur in males, and 60 percent in females. According to
The Stroke Association, an estimated 150,000 people have a stroke in the
U.K. each year, accounting for around 53,000 deaths annually. Stroke is
the third most common cause of death in England and Wales, after heart
disease and cancer. Stroke accounts for 9 percent of all deaths in men
and 13 percent of deaths in women in the U.K.
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