The world stroke daythis October 29, 2024, is an opportunity to recall the signs of stroke (stroke) and the right behaviors to adopt. A stroke corresponds to the sudden loss of one or more brain functions, following a cessation of circulation, or an intracerebral hemorrhage, recalls the Health Insurance website. More than 120,000 people suffered a stroke acute in 2021 and this condition represents the leading cause of mortality among women, according to Ameli.fr.
Stroke is an absolute emergency, it must be treated as quickly as possible to reduce mortality and limit the severity lesions. Researchers from the Caen Blood and Brain Institute have developed a new tool to facilitate the identification of microthrombi, that is to say microclots scattered in the brain of patients.
Scientists have developed a contrast agent to identify microclots in medical imaging
These findings were presented in a study published on June 13, 2024 in the journal Nature Communications. The researchers point out that usually, the blockages responsible for the occurrence of a stroke can be observed with a scanner or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), but these tools currently only make it possible to identify the largest clots.
In order to be able to detect with more precision the clots potentially responsible for strokes, researchers from the Blood and Brain Institute of Caen have developed a contrast agent innovative model inspired by mussels and able to spot the smallest fragments of thrombi in the brain, called microthrombi. “We have developed a new contrast product which can reveal the presence of microthrombi in magnetic resonance imaging.”, declared Dr Thomas Bonnard, one of the authors of this work, in a press release. Indeed, as for the mussels which attach themselves to their rock, the adhesive capacity of this product allows it to fix the particles of iron oxide necessary for medical imaging but also to cling to any microclots of blood present in the brain.
The use of this product is currently limited to mice
How does this innovative new product work? This contrast agent called PHySIOMIC is composed of magnetic microparticles intended to be injected into the bloodstream in order to attach, like molds, to microclots. Thanks to this product, these can be visible via MRI.
If scientists believe that this contrast agent could be a promising tool to facilitate diagnosis and stroke treatmentthey nevertheless recall that it has been, for the moment, only tested in mice. More research is therefore needed to make it available to humans.
Sources :
- A major breakthrough in stroke – Caen Normandy University Hospital – July 3, 2024
- MRI-based microthrombi detection in stroke with polydopamine iron oxide – Nature Communications – 13 juin 2024
- Understanding stroke and transient ischemic attack – Ameli.fr
