Novel therapeutic approach to improve stroke outcomes: Emerging roles of vascular LOX-1 regulation and brain targeted growth factor drug delivery using nanocarriers

Every year in Sweden 213 in 100.000 people will experience a first stroke event, costing society 12.3 billion SEK a year, with 45% of the expense allocated social costs. Time from stroke to treatment is essential for survival and outcome. The current window of opportunity for patients with acute ischemic stroke is 4.5h.

Expanding this window will have tremendous effects on patient survival and outcome.

This proposal aims to expand this window of opportunity by applying a novel vascular approach to minimize the propagation of brain damage during the acute phase of ischemic stroke.

Further, it aims to enhance stroke outcome by facilitating repair processes following secondary injury development by the application of a novel targeted BioHybrid nano delivery approach.

This novel technique will be designed to deliver essential growth factors for regeneration across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Our strategy is designed for optimal clinical translation of results, to benefit patients.

The strategies will be validated in human brain endothelial cells with relevant comorbidities and risk factors (air pollution and oxLDL) and in a thromboembolic model in rodents by using functional outcome tests, MRI, and molecular tests.

A whole-body biodistribution study will be conducted to evaluate the toxicological profile and to reveal the migration of the delivery systems into specific brain regions biodistribution imaging studies will be conducted by using CT and NanoMAX at MAX IV.