Differential Metabolic Signature of Stroke Patients Undergoing Thrombolysis Compared to Healthy Controls

There are around 150,000 incidents of stroke every year in the UK alone. By the age of 75, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 6 men will have had a stroke; 26% of which will have occurred before the age of 65. Moreover, over half of all stroke survivors are left with a disability and 41% of these are discharged from hospital requiring help with daily activities. Without a reliable biomarker for stroke patients, the development of a therapeutic intervention at baseline which has the capability to reduce disability in stroke patients is not possible. There is a dire need for further research into stroke. In 2012, £56 million was spent on stroke-related care/research, compared to £544 million on cancer research and £166 million on heart disease.

Studies involving heart attack patients suggest that succinate could be used as a biomarker for stroke patients. Furthermore, the current therapeutic option used to block the rise in succinate levels, malonate, has been shown to prevent ischaemic brain damage in animal studies. No work to date has explored this phenomenon in humans with stroke and therefore this study has huge potential to bridge the gap in helping to treat stroke patients in the future and thus reduce healthcare costs.

The DETECT study is a pilot study and has been specifically designed to be as simple as possible. For stroke patients undergoing thrombolysis, they will already have a cannula inserted to aid with the procedure. We propose that research bloods could be taken from this same cannula to reduce the burden to the patient. Wherever possible we will conduct the safety follow-up with stroke patients whilst they are still an inpatient at the hospital, to again reduce the burden to the patient.