UCLA researchers in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering have developed a novel treatment to prevent cerebral atrophy after stroke through the injection of a gel into the stroke core.
BACKGROUND:
Stroke is the leading cause of adult long-term disability and affects 795,000 Americans every year. Immediately following stroke onset, the lack of oxygen and nutrients causes significant cell death, a large influx of microglia/macrophages and the activation of highly reactive astrocytes, which release pro-inflammatory cytokines, and lead to further neuronal death and a clearance of cellular debris. Over time, the brain’s defense mechanism is to compartmentalize the injured tissue from the surrounding tissue via an astrocytic and fibrotic scar, preventing repair in the stroke core. With time the stroke core is devoid of vessels and axons and cerebral atrophy occurs (brain shrinkage). There are currently no therapies to prevent or treat cerebral atrophy, which is correlated with dementia, depression, and reduced motor function.
INNOVATION:
UCLA researchers have developed a novel treatment to prevent celebral atrophy after stroke through the injection of a gel into the stroke core. The direct injection of a hyaluronic acid based microporous annealed particle (HA-MAP) hydrogel into the stroke core reduces the percent of highly inflammatory astrocytes and increases the percent of pro-repair microglia in and around the lesion. Furthermore, HA-MAP hydrogel promotes reparative astrocyte infiltration into the lesion, which directly coincides with axonal penetration into the lesion. Overall, the injection of a porous scaffold into the stroke core can lead to clinically relevant decrease in cerebral atrophy and modulates the phenotype of astrocytes and microglia towards a pro-repair phenotype.
POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS:
• Prevent cerebral atrophy after stroke
ADVANTAGES:
• Modulates astrocytes and microglia towards a pro-repair phenotype
• Decrease inflammation after stroke
• Promote astrocyte infiltration into the lesion
DEVELOPMENT-TO-DATE:
This invention has been developed and tested in stroke mouse model.