At least Canada is trying to solve stroke problems, if the US is it is quite hidden.
Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the University of Calgary joins national effort to find game-changing therapies for stroke recovery
Calgary joins Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery, an elite research network established by the Heart and Stroke Foundation
QUEBEC, Sept. 14 _ The Hotchkiss
Brain Institute at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of
Medicine has joined seven of the top stroke recovery research centres in
Canada to identify powerful therapies with promise to repair
stroke-injured brains, research leaders announced today at the Canadian
Stroke Congress.
The HBI is investing $1.2
million over three years into equipment and research salaries to support
stroke recovery research as part of the Heart and Stroke Foundation
Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery. The Partnership pulls together
leading research groups from University of British Columbia, Sunnybrook
Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, The Ottawa Hospital, Toronto
Rehabilitation Institute, Baycrest, and Memorial University of
Newfoundland into a powerhouse network focused on recovery from stroke.
There are more than 405,000
Canadians living with long-term stroke disability, a number that is
expected to almost double over the next two decades as the population
ages and stroke risk factors increase in all age groups.
“Calgary researchers, including
HBI member Dr. Sean Dukelow and Dr. Adam Kirton, bring unique expertise
in robotics, pediatric stroke and clinical trials,” said Dr. Dale
Corbett, Scientific Director and CEO of the Canadian Partnership for
Stroke Recovery. “By joining the Partnership, UCalgary will contribute
greatly to our collaborative national effort to develop game-changing
therapies to improve the lives of people living with stroke.”
“As a Calgarian, I am proud of
the world-class stroke program at the University of Calgary,” says Rod
McKay, Chair, Heart and Stroke Foundation. “Calgary’s involvement in the
Partnership will further strengthen stroke-recovery research efforts
and build on the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s work to create survivors
of stroke and heart disease.”
In the coming year, the
Partnership plans to launch a trial that will test an anti-depressant
drug in combination with rehabilitation therapy to reboot recovery in
chronic stroke patients who have seen their progress stall.
Proof-of-principle stem cell studies in animal models are also underway
to help inform the first Canadian clinical trial using stem cells for
stroke recovery in the next few years.
As well, Partnership researchers
are conducting targeted research in robotics, optogenetics (a form of
stimulation that uses a light fibre to try to activate or deactivate
circuits involved in post-stroke depression and motor impairment),
electrical stimulation, virtual reality, and tele-rehabilitation.
“The HSF Canadian Partnership
for Stroke Recovery represents a group of researchers and clinicians
from across the country who have come together to help to solve the
problems faced by stroke survivors,” says Dr. Dukelow, who will lead the
Calgary team.
“There’s no question that
collaboration between basic and clinical scientists has the ability to
tremendously advance the field. Coordination and partnership across
several sites for clinical trials creates the ability for the type of
multi-site trials that are necessary for research progress.”
HSF invests $2 million a year in the Partnership, while partner institutions contribute $3.5 million annually.
Contact:
Cathy Campbell
HSF Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery
cathy@canadianstroke.ca
613-852-2303
Jane-Diane Fraser
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
jfraser@hsf.ca
613-691-4020
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