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Supported by the generosity of the Killam Trusts, The Neuro's Killam Seminar Series invites outstanding guest speakers whose research is of interest to the scientific community at The Neuro and 海角社区.

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Johannes Boltze

Professor of Neuroscience, University of Warwick, United Kingdom

Host:听edith.hamel [at] mcgill.ca (Edith Hamel)

Abstract:听Ischemic stroke (IS) is caused by a sudden occlusion of a brain-supplying artery. Stroke is frequent due to the wide representation of its risk factors, a leading cause of death and the most frequent reason for permanent disability in adulthood. Despite its immense medical and socio-economic impact, re-establishing cerebral blood flow by recanalizing the occluded vessel is the only established therapeutic option. However, recanalization therapies are limited by narrow time therapeutic windows, the requirement of specific infrastructure, and numerous contraindications. Cerebroprotective therapies shielding neurons and glia from ischemic damage would be beneficial in IS. Previous research on such approaches has been futile for decades but recent preclinical and clinical developments have caused a renaissance of cerebroprotective paradigms. The talk will briefly introduce the complex pathophysiology of IS and explain difficulties the field faced during the development of cerebroprotective paradigms in the past. It will then introduce the novel key strategy of acute cerebroprotection and will explain why chances for a therapeutic breakthrough are now higher than ever. The main part of the talk will provide detailed insights into selected, currently investigated cerebroprotective approaches for IS by providing data from basic science and translational animal experiments. The talk will conclude by providing a brief overview of the recently established translational research concept of multicenter preclinical trials.