Primary Investigator: Dr. Michael Kelly
Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the primary cause of disability in Canada. The development of innovative therapies to reduce the tremendous burden that stroke has on society will come through enhancing our knowledge of the underlying biochemistry and cellular mechanisms of stroke.
In human stroke cases there is broad variability in the type of stroke as well as its severity. While animal models of stroke are beneficial due to their high reproducibility it is also important to reflect the clinical variability in experimental strokes. Our laboratory employs multiple stroke models, including photothrombotic (PT), hypoxic ischemia (HI), and the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) models. The PT model represents a highly focal permanent occlusion, whereas the HI model can affect a large volume of brain tissue but is transient. The MCAO surgery may be implement as either a permanent or temporary occlusion and can be employed to model endovascular therapy (EVT) for stroke.