Community Corner

L.A. Area Hospital Earns $8M Grant to Test Drug for Treating Strokes

The grant comes from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders, part of the National Institutes of Health.

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center stroke researchers announced Tuesday that they will get an $8 million grant for the Phase II clinical trial of a new drug for treating strokes within three hours of onset.

The drug known as 3K3A-APC will be used along with a "clot busting" drug already approved for treating ischemic strokes, which block arteries and deprive the brain of oxygen.

In animal testing, the drug has been shown have a protective effect on the lining of blood vessels to eliminate hemorrhaging and reduce the chance of brain damage, according to the  researchers.

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"When patients receive (the clot-busting drug) within a three-hour time frame, the beneficial effects are often dramatic. But the drug is not without its limitations and potential side effects," said Dr. Patrick Lyden, chair of Cedars' Department of Neurology. "Our objective in this is to and other studies is to spare more lives and livelihoods by making treatments more effective with fewer risks."

The grant comes from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders, part of the National Institutes of Health.

Find out what's happening in Echo Park-Silver Lakewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Separately, Cedars-Sinai said its nurses would start screening all hospitalized adult patients for depression.

"We know, based on multiple medical studies over years, that addressing depression improves all aspects of patient health," said Linda Burnes Bolton, Cedars' chief nursing officer.

—City News Service


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