Welcome to the Homepage of the European Stroke Network

The European Stroke Network (ESN) is a collaborative effort of the European Union Seventh Framework Programme 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.

Charité Offers Master's Degree in Stroke

The Charité (University Medicine Berlin), a member organization of the European Stroke Network, is  currently recruiting students for the school's new international postgraduate program "Master of Science in Cerebrovascular Medicine". The program targets medical doctors, healthcare professionals, and scientists planning a career in stroke research and aims to provide comprehensive training in all relevant aspects of stroke research, treatment, and clinical studies:

- basics of cerebrovascular medicine
- neuroanatomy, cognition, and plasticity
- imaging, diagnostics, and rare diseases
- prevention and treatment of stroke
- biostatistics and clinical trial methodology
- clinical epidemiology and health services research
- project management

The part-time course is specifically designed to allow students to reconcile ongoing work commitments with program activities. For additional information, you can download the Master of Science brochure or visit www.master-stroke.de.

Patent Application of ESN Researchers Claiming Novel Stroke Treatment Published

An international patent application submitted by ESN researchers from Lund University led by Tadeusz Wieloch was published recently by the World Intellectual Property Organization under the number WO/2010/013012. The application claims the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor ligands as inducers and maintainers of therapeutic temperature reduction in stroke and cardiac arrest patients.

Temperature reduction in patients suffering from cerebral ischemia has been repeatedly shown to reduce brain damage. However, the efficacy of the intervention is critically dependent on the speed of temperature reduction, and there is no approved way of hypothermia treatment in stroke patients at present. As discovered by the Lund group, the administration of GLP-1 receptor ligands can lead to a rapid and lasting reduction in body temperature with corresponding neuroprotective effects.

The patent application also claims the utilization of a known peptide GLP-1 receptor ligand called exendin- 4 as a drug for the induction of hypothermia. Together with Lund University Bioscience, Tadeusz Wieloch and colleagues have established Auril AB, a company to develop exendin- 4 as a therapeutic agent to ameliorate brain damage due to stroke or cardiac arrest. Current activities are focused on the confirmation of exendin-4's hypothermic action in larger animals.

ESN Scientists Lecture on Neurovascular Dysfunction and Thrombolytic Therapy at ISFP 2010 

The exploration of neurovascular dysfunction and the perfection of thrombolytic therapy in stroke are two core areas of research pursued by scientists of the European Stroke Network. In recognition of their outstanding contributions to these fields, ESN researchers Dennis Vivien, Eduardo Angles-Cano, and Joan Montaner will give invited lectures at the upcoming biennial congress of the International Society for Fibrinolysis and Proteolysis (ISFP 2010) in Amsterdam.

ISFP 2010 covers basic and clinical research in diseases in which the fibrinolytic system, proteases, and their inhibitors, receptors, and cofactors play a role. Two conference symposia dealing with the role of proteases and biomarkers/microparticles in neurovascular dysfunction will take place under the auspices of the European Stroke Network. For more information, visit the conference website at www.isfp2010.org.

ESN's Clinical Trial Expertise in Demand Throughout Europe

The Clinical Trial Platform of the European Stroke Network has been established to provide its researchers with a trial network that can considerably facilitate the translation of preclinical discoveries into clinical practice. In addition, the Clinical Trial Platform also offers help for investigator-initiated trials with the submission of trial concepts, dealing with ethics committees, fund raising, trial logistics, data entry and management, monitoring, and other aspects of clinical studies.

In view of ESN's vast clinical trial experience, represented by such renowned stroke trialists as Michael Hennerici, Werner Hacke, or Nils Wahlgren, the European stroke community has quickly recognized the potential advantage of collaborating with the clinicians of the European Stroke Network. As a result, several organizations are currently involved in informal talks with the ESN about their integration into the Clinical Trial Platform.

The European Research Network on Intracerebral Hemorrhage (EURONICH) is seeking close collaboration with the ESN not only for future activities but also for the recently started INCH (INR Normalization in Coumadin Associated Intracerebral Hemorrhage) trial. The European Stroke Research Network for Hypothermia (EUROHYP), an organization promoting the therapeutic use of hypothermia in stroke, has also expressed strong interest in collaborating with the European Stroke Network in the area of clinical trials. This collaboration could produce additional synergies as ESN researchers are widely regarded as leading experts in the field of hypothermic neuroprotection in cerebral ischemia.

The ESN trial network is coordinated by the University of Heidelberg and the Karolinska Institute. For further information, please contact ESN coordinator Stephen Meairs.

ESN Held Agrin Workshop in Bern (see Highlights)

Agrin, a molecular target of ESN research

ESN's Clinical Trial Platform is Launching I-STROKE Trial

The Clinical Trial Platform of the European Stroke Network is in the process of launching the first study based on a completely overhauled SITS (Safe Implementation of Treatments in Stroke) database that now supports randomized controlled trials. The study has been designed to test the hypothesis that hemorrhagic complications due to thrombolysis with tPA in acute stroke can be ameliorated by blocking the platelet-derived growth factor receptor α (PDGFR-α) with the antagonist imatinib.

The working hypothesis is supported by recent experimental data showing that tPA activates latent platelet-derived growth factor-CC and that the activated form increases blood-brain barrier permeability and hemorrhagic complications via PDGFR-α localized on perivascular astrocytes.

One of the major objectives of the SITS database project is to develop novel data entry procedures suitable for ambulatory use in the pre-hospital setting and in acute phase intervention trials. In the new system, patients that meet the entry criteria are randomized by telephone; subsequently a new individual protocol is created in an affiliated SITS center.

European Stroke Network to Link Up with EIS Consortium

The European Union has recently funded a new collaborative project that addresses the implementation of evidence-based cardiovascular care in Europe. The principal goal of the new consortium, headed by Charles Wolfe of King's College in London, is the development of a European Implementation Score (EIS) for stroke and the identification of its predictive components for the successful diffusion of research evidence into clinical use.

As members of the European Stroke Network have been highly instrumental in the successful implementation of acute thrombolysis with tPA into medical practice, which is probably the most relevant example of an evidence-based therapeutic approach in stroke, they can contribute a wealth of experience to the theoretical framework of the EIS project. Similarly, the internet-based interactive thrombolysis register managed by the ESN-affiliated SITS (Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke) collaboration represents an invaluable resource for the identification of successful implementation methods.

At present, the coordinators of both consortia are engaged in an active exchange of ideas about the details of the projected ESN-EIS partnership.