ESN Goals

Stroke pathobiology, as well as brain reorganisation and repair, are highly complex. Developing successful strategies for brain protection and repair therefore requires a joint effort of experts on basic neuroscience, vascular biology, neuroimmunology, neuroprotection, neuroregeneration, drug delivery, and clinical stroke neurology. Leading European stroke researchers and clinicians with a track record of established cooperation will share their complementary expertise, and team up with industrial partners with high profile R&D and ongoing, promising clinical trials. We will work on a common model and methods platforms, in which for the first time relevant comorbidities, gender, age, and long-term outcomes will be investigated. The training of young researchers will lead to a standardisation and harmonisation of laboratory practices within the consortium, and implement the standard operating procedures (SOPs) generated by the consortium. Importantly, the consortium combines expertise in clinical as well as preclinical stroke research. ESN researchers are coordinating a number of investigator-initiated Phase II and Phase III trials, or are presently preparing for them. Our small and medium enterprise (SME) partners from biotech and pharmaceutical industries are currently conducting Phase II and III stroke trials. The ESN will serve as hub for the recruitment of additional European centres within and outside the consortium, will assist in obtaining funding at the national and European level, improve overall organization of European stroke research and it's ties to the US and Asian stroke research centres in a structured way, and enhance trans-European flow of information on stroke research within the whole European society, from stroke patients to governmental agencies. In addition, the ESN clinical platform, consisting of outstanding European stroke clinicians, will provide advice to the basic researchers of the consortium on clinically relevant questions and modelling, and will periodically review the ongoing development of innovative therapies to ultimately take the most promising preclinical strategy developed by the ESN consortium into a multicenter randomized clinical trial.