The Universities of Birmingham and Cambridge have launched a new research project aimed at finding out if selective P2X7 receptor blockade drugs can be replaced to treat patients with secondary brain damage.
Funded by almost £ 1 million from the Medical Examination Council, the project will be carried out in two phases over the next three years.
The leading cause of death and disability in those under 40, traumatic brain injury costs the UK economy around £ 8 billion a year. Mortality rates are high and many survive with lifelong disability, but at present there are no approved drugs available in the clinic to reduce the impact of these injuries on patients.
While it would be difficult for a drug to reduce the effects of an initial injury, the dead and dead brain bones associated with the first trauma can cause neuro-inflammation that spreads to surrounding brain tension that can be damaged but irreversible. “
Nicholas Barnes, Principal Research Fellow and Professor, School of Medicine, University of Birmingham
“However, the added weight of neuro-inflammation in this nearby brain strain expands the amount of brain damage. This secondary, non-mechanical brain damage begins over hours to days after the first trauma and so could be seen as a potential drug treatment drug treatment. “
Previous research has shown that the receptor P2X7 – a protein in the body responsible for regulating inflammation – is involved in the psychological processes that stress brain tension and can cause brain cell death. The P2X7 receptor can trigger a series of events that cause brain cells to secrete pro-inflammatory chemicals, increasing the stress on brain cells after traumatic brain injury.
Dr Barnes said: “We are testing whether blocking the P2X7 receptor with a drug disrupts the processes that contribute to stress in the brain cells. thus helping to reduce the secondary brain damage following the traumatic injury.
“If successful, this will improve clinical outcomes for patients after traumatic brain injury, allowing more patients to survive and reducing disability. If our prognosis is correct, this would also lead to significant improvements in clinical governance. patients with traumatic brain injury since then drug treatment is not currently effective. “
First, the team uses small pieces of brain material from traumatic brain injury patients undergoing surgery – this brain strain comes away from the brain during conventional neurosurgical procedures and its collection does not alter outcome for the patient. .
In the laboratory, the team will study the use of cells from the samples to determine the concentration of the drug required in a patient’s brain to inhibit the P2X7 receptor-mediated pro-inflammatory response of brain cells called microglia. Following laboratory research, there will be further research to translate the laboratory work into a clinical trial.
The research team will also consist of Professor Tony Belli and Dr Valentina Di Pietro, both from the University of Birmingham, and Professor Peter Hutchinson, Mr Adel Helmy, and Dr Keri Carpenter, University of Cambridge all.