13 ISC NEWS DAY 2 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2025 StrokeConference.org #ISC25 pressure management to reduce the burden of cerebrovascular events. “As a cardiologist speaking to a group of learned neurologists, hypertension is one of those areas where we are all sisters and brothers in arms,” Churchwell said. “In fighting this battle, we need to be closely aligned with more of our colleagues — especially those in primary care — to spread the message that a vital step toward reducing acute cerebral events is by effective management of hypertension.” Churchwell also emphasized the need to address adverse social drivers of health, which disproportionately affect underserved communities. “Improving hypertension control with direct initiatives for communities at risk, as well as mitigating the social drivers of health, will have a significant impact on stroke events,” he said, highlighting AHA initiatives like Target BP, a program aimed at improving blood pressure control in at-risk communities, as practical tools to achieve these goals. “Small changes in control of BP will lead to a big reduction in cardiovascular and stroke events and death: A real return on investment.” Ending on a call to action, Churchwell posed the same question that shaped his upbringing: “What can we do to help?” He urged health care professionals to take collective and individual steps to combat hypertension, advance health equity and improve patient and community outcomes. “None of us is expected to have all the solutions,” he said. “But I’ve learned that each of us can do something — and together, we can play parts large and small to make a difference. And not only can we — we must.” in the Simulation Zone Experiential learning Center on Aging and co-director of the Kentucky Neuroscience Institute at the University of Kentucky, said the drug candidate, MW189, is a molecule that could be used at a specific point after intracerebral hemorrhage. “In intracerebral hemorrhage, inflammation occurs in a welldefined time frame after injury and is amenable to intervention in the critical care setting,” she said. “Our novel drug candidate is a brain-penetrant small molecule that selectively reduces injury-induced, detrimental proinflammatory cytokine responses without suppressing the normal physiological levels and functions of the inflammatory response.” Van Eldik said MW189 has completed phase 1a and 1b studies in healthy adult volunteers and is now in a phase 2a clinical trial in patients who have had an intracerebral hemorrhage. “The hope is that by reducing the injury-induced increases in proinflammatory cytokines, we will prevent the downstream brain swelling and nerve cell damage that frequently occurs,” she said. Although the road to fully implemented drug treatments is a long one, Van Eldik said MW189 is being developed with the idea of prioritizing what mechanisms to target and what compounds have the best chance of success. Neuroinflammation is a well-validated mechanism, especially for acute brain injuries, that can be targeted successfully for therapeutic development. “To hit the bull’s-eye, we must hit the right targets with the right drugs at the right time,” she said. “And we feel that our novel small molecule compounds that were prioritized in development based on their drug-like properties and their selective action show promise to become future effective therapies for multiple central nervous system disorders.” INFLAMMATION continued from page 3 OPENING SESSION continued from page 1 “To hit the bull’seye, we must hit the right targets with the right drugs at the right time.” –Linda Van Eldik, PhD “As a cardiologist speaking to a group of learned neurologists, hypertension is one of those areas where we are all sisters and brothers in arms.” –Keith Churchwell, MD, FAHA program, is providing lifesaving care protocols for more than 8 million patient encounters across 2,800 hospitals. “These improvements in stroke care quality have led to an increase of over 71,000 quality-adjusted life-years since the program launched,” she said. • The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has made a total commitment to the stroke mission of nearly $91 million, helping to make strides in rural communities. • “To continue our work to translate science into improved patient outcomes and care, we’ve launched a new $2 million project supported by Stryker,” Jessup said. “Over the next two years and across 15 U.S. sites, the initiative will inform quality improvement recommendations for minimally invasive surgical evacuation for hemorrhagic stroke patients.” • Jessup announced a commitment of nearly $13 million focusing on stroke as a systemic and chronic disease, powered by the support of the Henrietta B. and Frederick H. Bugher Foundation. “This significant new research effort will kick off with a Future of Stroke Symposium next year and brings Bugher’s lifetime commitment to our mission to more than $63 million,” she said. IGNITING HOPE continued from page 1 Realistic hands-on learning guided by expert faculty. Practice vascular access and navigation or procedural skills, including deployment of stents and coils, clot aspiration and so much more! Participating companies include Balt, Johnson & Johnson MedTech, Mentice, Route 92 Medical, SurgeonsLab, Terumo Neuro and United Biologics.
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