Scientists develop injection that repairs brain after stroke

Researchers have developed an injection made of dynamic “dancing molecules” that can be delivered through the bloodstream to repair the brain after a stroke.

Researchers at Northwestern University, who developed the therapy, said the new nanomaterial crosses the blood-brain barrier, a hurdle that prevents many treatments from reaching brain tissue, and promotes repair.

When someone experiences a stroke, doctors must quickly restore blood flow to the brain to prevent death. However, this sudden return of circulation can also set off a harmful cascade that damages brain cells, drives inflammation, and raises the risk of lasting disability.

In a new preclinical study, the scientists tested a single intravenous dose given immediately following reperfusion in a mouse model of ischaemic stroke, the most common form of the condition.

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Mice that received the treatment showed significantly less brain damage, with no evidence of side effects or toxicity in major organs.

The results, published in the journal Neurotherapeutics, indicated that this approach could eventually work alongside existing stroke therapies by reducing secondary injury and aiding recovery.

The new injectable treatment is built on supramolecular therapeutic peptides (STPs), a technology developed by Northwestern researcher Samuel I. Stupp.

In a 2021 study published in the journal Science, a related STP-based therapy gained attention under the nickname “dancing molecules” for its ability to reverse paralysis and repair tissue in mice after a single injection at the site of severe spinal cord injury.

The latest study shows that similar dynamic molecular assemblies can be delivered through the bloodstream, eliminating the need for surgery or direct injections into the brain.

Stupp, a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Chemistry, Medicine and Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern, declared that a promising aspect of this study is that this therapeutic technology, which has shown incredible promise in spinal cord injury, can now begin to be applied in a stroke model and that it can be delivered systemically.

Severe strokes can lead to permanent, significant disability that affects a patient’s quality of life and their ability to return to work and engage with their family and society.

“It has not only a significant personal and emotional burden on patients but also a financial burden on families and communities. Reducing this level of disability with a therapy that could potentially help in restoring function and minimising injury would really have a powerful long-term impact,” he added.

Further studies will need to assess whether this treatment can support longer-term and functional recovery. Many stroke patients suffer from significant cognitive decline throughout the subsequent year after a stroke.

In addition, the team is interested in testing whether additional regenerative signals could be incorporated into the therapeutic peptides to produce even better results.