Care at the Stroke & Cerebrovascular Center is always shaped by the most innovative medical and surgical therapies because our experts continuously engage in research. A connection with the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine allows basic science research to be quickly translated to findings that will improve patient care. Over the past several years, the Stroke & Cerebrovascular Center has secured over $2,000,000 in clinical research funding, the majority from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
StrokeNet
Five Cleveland biomedical research and health care institutions have received a $1 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), one of the National Institutes of Health, to collaborate on developing the Cleveland Stroke Clinical Trials Regional Coordinating Center. Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine will administer the five year grant through its Clinical Translational Science Collaborative (CTSC), an initiative that has secured $128 million to accelerate the progress of medical breakthroughs from research labs to patient care. Principal investigator on the Cleveland project is Anthony J. Furlan, MD, Professor of Neurology at CWRU School of Medicine and UH Cleveland Medical Center. Dr. Furlan has extensive experience in the design and management of large stroke clinical trials. In the 1990s, he guided another collaborative stroke project in the city called Cleveland Operation Stroke, which piloted the American Stroke Association's Get with the Guidelines campaign and is now a national program that sets standards for hospital stroke care.
Stenting vs. Aggressive Medical Management for Preventing Recurrent Stroke in Intracranial Stenosis (SAMMPRIS)
The purpose of this NIH-funded study is to compare the safety and effectiveness of either intensive medical therapy plus stenting or intensive medical therapy only in preventing stroke, heart attacks or death.
Insulin Resistance Intervention After Stroke Trial (IRIS)
The purpose of this NIH-funded study is to determine if pioglitazone is effective in preventing future strokes or heart attacks among non-diabetic persons who have had a recent ischemic stroke.
Secondary Prevention of Small Subcortical Strokes Trial (SPS3)
The goal of this NIH-funded study is to learn if combination antiplatelet therapy (aspirin and clopidogrel) is more effective than aspirin alone for the prevention of recurrent stroke and cognitive decline, and if intensive blood pressure control is associated with fewer recurrent strokes and cognitive decline.
PFO Closure in Cryptogenic Stroke (RESPECT)
The goal of this industry-sponsored study was to determine if PFO closure with the AMPLATZER PFO Occluder was superior to the current medical standard of care in the prevention or recurrent embolic stroke in patients with a cryptogenic stroke due to presumed paradoxical embolism.
Targeted Management Intervention for African-American Men with TIA or Stroke (TEAM)
This goal of this NIH- funded study is to determine barriers and facilitators to post-stroke care with the purpose of developing a behavioral intervention to improve adherence with preventive therapies.
Clot Lysis: Evaluating Accelerated Resolution of Intraventricular Hemorrhage (CLEAR-III)
This goal of this NIH-funded study is to determine if intraventricular tPA is superior to the current standard of care in the resolution of intraventricular hemorrhage and improving outcomes after hemorrhagic stroke.
MultiStem Therapy for Stroke
The purpose of this industry-sponsored study is to determine the safety and efficacy of MultiStem (stem cell therapy) in patients with ischemic stroke within 24-36 hours.
Antihypertensive Treatment of Acute Cerebral Hemorrhage (ATACH-II)
The purpose of this NIH-funded study is to determine which of two blood pressure targets is superior in reducing hematoma expansion and improving outcomes after acute intracerebral hemorrhage.
Stenting & Angioplasty with Protection in Patients at High Risk for Endarterectomy – Sapphire Registry
This industry sponsored registry will determine risks of major adverse events in the treatment of carotid occlusive disease with the Cordis PRECISE® Nitinol Stent System and Cordis ANGIOGUARD™ XP/RX Emboli Capture Guidewire.
Carotid Revascularization with ev3 Arterial Technology Evolution (CREATE)
This industry sponsored registry will evaluate the efficacy and safety of the ev3's Protege(R) Nitinol Self-Expanding Stent with the company's SPIDER(TM) Embolic Protection Device in the treatment of carotid occlusive disease.
“Wake up” Stroke Study
The purpose of this IRB-approved UHCMC study is to investigate the feasibility of Intra-arterial therapy (IAT) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients with unknown time-of-onset by employing Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)-based diffusion-perfusion mismatch criteria for selection of patient candidates.
Minimally Invasive Surgery plus rt=PA for Intracerebral Hemorrhage Evaluation (MISTIE-ICES)
The purpose of this NIH-funded study is to determine if minimally invasive hematoma evacuation is superior to the current medical standard of care in improving outcomes after hemorrhagic stroke.
“Non-invasive Brain-Signal Training to Induce Motor Control Recovery After Stroke”
Janis J. Daly, PhD, associate professor of neurology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, was awarded a $1 million EUREKA grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate the feasibility of using Electroencephalography (EEG) signals to direct brain retraining following stroke.
Use of Diabetic Medications to Reduce Injury During Stroke
Sophia Sundararajan, MD PhD demonstrated that Thiazolidindiones (TZDs), which bind to and activate peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARgamma), suppress the brain’s inflammatory response to stroke. Animals treated with TZDs have smaller strokes and preform better on behavioral assessments.
Interventional Management of Stroke (IMS) III Trial (IMS III)
The purpose of this NIH-funded study was to compare two different treatment approaches—combined intravenous and intra-arterial recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) and standard intravenous (IV) rt-PA—to restoring blood flow to the brain.
Carotid Occlusion Surgery Study (COSS)
The purpose of this NIH-funded study was to determine if extracranial-intracranial bypass surgery, when added to best medical therapy can reduce the subsequent risk of ipsilateral stroke in high-risk patients with recently symptomatic carotid occlusion and increased cerebral oxygen extraction fraction measured by PET.
Clazosentan in Reducing Vasospasm-Related Morbidity and All-Cause Mortality in Adult Patients With Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Treated by Surgical Clipping (CONSCIOUS-2)
The aim of this industry-sponsored study was to demonstrate that clazosentan, administered as a continuous intravenous infusion at 5 mg/h until Day 14 post aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH), reduces the incidence of cerebral vasospasm-related morbidity and all-cause mortality within 6 weeks post-aSAH treated by surgical clipping.
Clinical Outcome in Acute Stroke Treatment After Image Guided Patient Selection for Interventional Revascularization Therapy (START)
This industry-sponsored study was designed to assess the safety and effectiveness of the Penumbra System in a stroke cohort with a known core infarct volume derived from imaging at admission.