Background
This research programme is mainly about understanding the effect of blood on brain cells, with a focus on finding treatments.
People with a stroke due to brain haemorrhage have swelling around the haemorrhage on their brain scan. More swelling worsens recovery. No treatment improves outcome after this swelling. Very few studies have used human brain tissue to work out which cells and molecules cause swelling after a brain haemorrhage.
What is the research aiming to do?
An international collaboration of scientists and doctors from several backgrounds will study unique, detailed, existing resources of brain tissue from 76 people who died after having a brain haemorrhage and 31 people who died of other causes. The activity of two separate processes that are believed to cause swelling will be studied. These processes have not been studied in human brain tissue after haemorrhage before.
A further investigation will describe how swelling develops over two weeks after a brain haemorrhage and aims to involve 120 participants.
What difference could this research make?
The programme will use biological information about cells and molecules, and information from patients, to design a study of treatment for swelling after a brain haemorrhage. The programme will involve students, scientists, and doctors early in their careers to develop their skills in stroke research.
How are people affected by stroke involved?
A survey was disseminated with questions about the design and methods of the proposal for this programme. It received responses from 39 patients, carers, and members of the public. Of these respondents, 87% strongly agreed that: “studying inflammation after brain haemorrhage is a priority” and 87% strongly agreed that: “this research would be a good use of the brain tissue donated by patients.” The programme will include a patient reference group which will review the progress of the programme every three months. Results from the programme will be widely disseminated to participants, carers, patients, and the public.
Professor Rustam Al-Shahi Salman was awarded this Priority Programme Award' in 2018. Rustam is pictured below (centre) receiving this award from Lady Estelle Wolfson and Professor Sir Mark Wolport at our 2018 Keynote Lecture.
