New stroke drug offers safe neuroprotection

A promising new stroke drug that temporarily inhibits a key protein in the brain without causing lasting harm may significantly change the future treatment of cerebral and global ischemia, according to a new study by scientists at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

“We are one step closer to a new stroke therapy. Our research shows that the potential negative side effects were not manifested, while the neuroprotective effects were significant.”said K. Ulrich Bayer, a senior author of the study.

Current stroke treatment is largely confined to breaking up blood clots to restore blood flow to the affected region of the brain. But the drug studied here, which was developed on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, protects brain function itself.

The scientists set out to discover how to target a critical protein called Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II or CaMKII, a central regulator of learning and memory. Long-term interference with this protein was thought to carry a risk of impacting memory and learning ability.

Working with animal models, the team targeted the protein with a neuroprotective peptide known as tatCN19o.They also discovered that the drug prevented brain cell damage even at very low doses and when given 30 to 60 minutes after ischemic events.

Reference:

Short-term CaMKII inhibition with tatCN19o does not erase pre-formed memory in mice and is neuroprotective in pigs, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO ANSCHUTZ MEDICAL CAMPUS, Journal of Biological Chemistry