Immunity and stroke, the hurdles of stroke research translation

Abstract

Immunomodulatory therapies after stroke have the potential to provide clinical benefit to a subset of patients, but risk subverting the protective, healing aspects of the innate immune response. Neutrophils clear necrotic cerebral tissue and are important in immunomodulation, but can also contribute to tissue injury. Human trials for immunomodulatory stroke treatments in the sub-acute time frame have attempted to prevent peripheral neutrophil infiltration, but none have been successful and one trial demonstrated harm. These unselected trials had broad inclusion criteria and appear to not have had a specific treatment target. Unfortunately, due to the heterogeneous nature of brain ischemia in..