UGA stroke treatment headed to clinical trials

ATHENS — A new drug based on University of Georgia research that targets inflammation and brain damage caused by strokes will soon enter clinical trials.

Set to begin in the first half of 2024, the therapeutic drug is the first cell therapy cleared by the FDA to be used in the nervous system. It works by cleaning up the damaging particles released during and after a stroke.

About 800,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year. But only about 15% qualify for surgery or clot-busting medications currently on the market. Researcher Steven Stice said he hopes the new therapeutic can help fill the gap for the remaining 85% of stroke patients.

Additionally, Stice and his colleagues are currently exploring the efficacy of the drug in treating ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, and traumatic brain injury.

The researchers also are exploring the ability to administer the drug through a nasal spray, which would be a game-changer for chronic inflammation-based diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and traumatic brain injury.

To read more, visit https://news.uga.edu/uga-stroke-treatment-headed-to-clinical-trial/.

Peter Frey/UGA