Welcome to the Homepage of the European Stroke Network
The European Stroke Network (ESN) is a collaborative 
effort of the European Union’s Seventh Framework Program that brings together researchers, government, industry, the non-profit sector, and patient group associations. This network puts Europe at the forefront of stroke research through its multi-disciplinary research program, high quality training for European scientists and clinicians, and national and global partnerships.
European Stroke Network to Team Up with Canadian Stroke Network
Under the leadership of ESN coordinators Stephen Meairs and Ulrich Dirnagl, and the CEO and Scientific Director of the Canadian Stroke Network (CSN) Antoine Hakim, the world’s two largest research networks devoted solely to stroke have initiated consultations about novel ways of collaboration across the Atlantic. The Canadian Stroke Network is an independent nonprofit corporation that was established with the help of the Canadian government in 1999; it incorporates more than 100 researchers at 24 universities at present. The European Stroke Network was funded by the European Union in 2008; it coordinates the research efforts of 29 institutions in 13 countries. Antoine Hakim has been on the ESN Scientific Advisory Board since its inception.
Hexokinase II Determines Cellular Fate in Hypoxia
Balanced energy metabolism and the regulation of apoptosis are of vital importance to all organisms when they are deprived of metabolic substrates for example under the conditions of hypoxia or ischemia. The elucidation of the molecular mechanisms by which metabolism and apoptosis are coregulated may therefore lead to novel therapeutic strategies for both acute and chronic diseases. As described in a recent paper by Mergenthaler et al. (Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012;109:1518-1523), ESN researchers at the Charité in Berlin and the McMaster University in Canada have discovered a novel mechanism that may be instrumental in preventing cell death.
ESN Scientists Clarify Role of Pannexins in Cerebral Ischemia
In collaboration with the group of renowned neuroscientist Hannah Monyer, ESN researcher Markus Schwaninger and colleagues in Heidelberg explored the role of pannexins, molecules that form large nonselective channels in the plasma membrane referred to as pannexons. Their findings were recently published (P. Bargiotas et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011;108:20772-20777). Pannexons allow the passage of substances with a molecular weight of up to 1,000 Da. The opening of such pores in the neuronal membrane is thought to contribute to anoxic depolarization, to the loss of essential metabolites such as ATP and glutathione, and to the release of toxic compounds, all of which are known to promote neuronal cell death.
New Experimental Data Raise Hopes for Stroke Therapy
While preventing stroke-induced damage to the brain with drugs has proved to be an unattainable goal so far, a newly published study (Ruscher et al., Brain, January 28, 2011) suggests that part of the lost brain function can be restored by pharmacological activation of cerebral sigma-1 receptors several days after the ischemic event. The novel therapeutic concept grew out of the observation that keeping rats in a stimulating environment after experimental stroke leads to a significantly better functional recovery than tranquil conventional housing. In collaboration with scientists from the United States, researchers of the European Stroke Network at Lund University under the leadership of Tadeusz Wieloch have been able to demonstrate that sigma-1 receptors play an important role in the improved recovery of sensorimotor function associated with enriched environment.
Documentary about ESN Available for Viewing on Facebook
To raise awareness of health research supported by the European Commission’s FP7 program, the COMED consortium has been commissioned by the EC to produce state-of-the art documentaries for the general public about ten auspicious EU-funded research projects. The European Stroke Network has been selected as one of the organizations that are pursuing a visionary approach to contemporary research on a major disease. The documentary explaining representative examples of ESN research has been published recently on Facebook and can be viewed here.
The COMED project should help bridge the gap between the abstract world of science and the lives of individual European citizens by capturing the highly complex scientific process as well as the daily challenges of research work on film.