This research should be replicated for stroke patients but that won't occur because we have NO strategy and NO leadership following up anything interesting in research.
http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=159430&CultureCode=en
Cardiff University scientists believe they may have found a way to
aid recovery and minimise the risk of life-threatening infections in
patients with traumatic brain injuries.
It’s estimated that more than a million people in the UK are admitted
annually to hospital as a result of a head injury. It is a leading
cause of death and disability in children and adults from ages one to
44. This is largely due to life-threatening infections, as well as brain
inflammation, activated by the body’s natural disease-fighting immune
response, called ‘complement’.
“When tissue is injured in an accident, this part of our immune
system sees the tissue as ‘foreign’ and responds in an inappropriate way
to make the damage even worse,” says Professor Claire Harris from
Cardiff University’s Institute of Infection & Immunity, who led the
research.
Now, Cardiff scientists have engineered a new duel
‘homing’ agent which, when given to mice, inactivated the complement
system in the brain, reduced inflammation and aided recovery.
”Widespread blocking of this part of the immune system after
traumatic brain injury helps damaged brain tissue to survive and
improves neurological recovery in mice. Unfortunately, this treatment
approach could be harmful to humans because complement is essential for
fighting infections - that’s why this homing agent is so significant.
“We have engineered a drug which combines two different activities in
one molecule. One arm ‘targets’ the drug to the site of tissue damage,
thus concentrating the therapy exactly where it is most needed, and the
second arm (CD59) inhibits a specific part of the complement system
which would drive further damage if left unchecked.
“This drug therefore delivers therapy to where it is needed, freeing
up the complement system to fight infection in the rest of the body.”
Published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, the team, led by Professors Claire Harris and Professor Paul
Morgan, showed that when the ‘homing’ agent was injected into mice
immediately after traumatic brain injury, it specifically targeted the
injured tissue, serving to inactivate the complement system and reduce
inflammation and neuronal damage.
Professor Claire Harris added: “Development of this new homing agent
is exciting. We’ve shown that it can be administered in mice some time
after the trauma and still be effective.
“If our findings can be translated into humans this could be life-changing for patients with head injuries.”
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