A tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), which works by dissolving clots and is the immediate treatment for common kind of strokes. The drug tPA however cause dangerous bleeding in the brain and its brain-saving power fades fast after the third hour of a stroke.
However, giving the cancer drug Gleevec prior to tPA can extend the time frame during which the clot-busting drugs are effective as well as reduce the risk of bleeding in the brain. The researchers at the University of Michigan and the Ludwig Institute at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden say the findings are promising in animals and will soon begin a clinical trial to test the theory in humans.
Mice that received Gleevec had 33 percent less leakage than those that didn't and 34 percent less damage to the brain. If these findings are confirmed in humans, Gleevec could be given immediately when a stroke is suspected to extend the window in which tPA may be given.
Five million people die, and 5 million more are permanently disabled, by strokes each year, according to the World Health Organization. The findings are published online in Nature Medicine.
