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.
Eng Lo Honored at the International Stroke Conference
Eng H. Lo, Professor of Radiology and Neurology at Harvard Medical School in Boston, a member of the European Stroke Network’s Scientific Advisory Board, received the Thomas Willis Award at the International Stroke Conference 2013 in Honolulu, HI. The Willis Award recognizes an American Heart Association Stroke Council Fellow who has actively engaged in and has made significant contributions to basic science research in stroke. The award was established in honor of Thomas Willis, a prominent physician credited with providing the first detailed description of the brain stem, the cerebellum and the ventricles, with extensive hypotheses about the functions of these brain parts. The International Stroke Conference is the world’s largest meeting dedicated to the science and treatment of cerebrovascular disease.
Imaging of Selective Neuronal Loss after Cerebral Ischemia
Depending on the subsequent restoration of cerebral blood flow, ischemic stroke can result in pan-necrosis, partial infarction, or selective neuronal loss (SNL) in the affected brain area. The team of ESN scientist Jean-Claude Baron at the University of Cambridge investigated the delayed sequelae of tissue damage after transient cerebral ischemia in rodents using in vivo T2-weighted (T2W) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) with 11C-flumazenil (FMZ) in comparison to post mortem immunohistochemistry for neuronal loss (NeuN), activated microglia, and astrocytosis. (Ejaz et al., Neurobiology of Disease, March 2013).
European Stroke Network Featured at the AAAS Meeting
In line with the growing international recognition of the European Stroke Network, ESN coordinator Stephen Meairs has been invited to present and discuss the activities of the collaborative project at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of the most widely recognized global-science gatherings with broad U.S. and international media coverage. The meeting in Boston will highlight the “unreasonable effectiveness” of the scientific enterprise in creating economic growth, solving societal problems, and satisfying the essential human drive to understand the world in which we live. The increasing number of international attendees demonstrates the global nature of the event.
ESN Scientists Challenge Current Thinking in Stroke Research
In a powerful demonstration of what can be achieved with focused multidisciplinary collaboration, scientists of the European Stroke Network have published remarkable new findings about the role of polymorphonuclear granulocytes (PMNs) in neuronal cell death and reperfusion injury following cerebral ischemia (Enzmann et al., Acta Neuropathologica, December 2012). Under the leadership of ESN lead scientists Britta Engelhardt and Lydia Sorokin, a dedicated group of stroke researchers, neuropathologists, cell biologists, and neuroimmunologists has been able to comprehensively investigate the in vivo PMN localization after ischemic stroke in mouse and human brain samples.
Transatlantic Stroke Research Collaboration Launched
As announced at the last ESN Consortium Meeting in Budapest, the management teams of the European and Canadian Stroke Networks finalized the selection of joint research projects aimed at the identification of new approaches to preventing and treating stroke. Each project selected by the leadership of the two networks involves a Canadian and a European arm. Funding is provided for a 12-month period ending in February 2013. The Canadian Stroke Network contributes 1 Mio CAD over this period, while ESN member organizations will allocate an equivalent amount of their resources to the initiative. As confirmed by independent peer reviewers, the selected joint research projects are of the highest scientific quality, and the collaborative effort is likely to result in significant synergies.
Post-Graduate Course on Modeling Cerebrovascular Disease
The University of Eastern Finland, a member organization of the European Stroke Network, is offering a new post-graduate course on the modeling of cerebrovascular diseases in Kuopio, Finland. The course, which will take place on March 15 and 16, 2013, is going to provide participants with a state-of-the art overview of the role of immune mechanisms and inflammation in brain disease, with particular focus on the molecular basis of novel treatment approaches. All speakers of the scientific program are active researchers in the field of cerebrovascular disease. Deadline for online registration is February 28, 2013.