The project Improving the treatment of acute ischemic stroke, led by Alicia Martínez of the IGTP is one of three projects receiving CaixaResearch #CaixaResearchFundlaCaixa 2021 Consolidate Awards

Stroke is the third leading cause of death worldwide, and the leading cause of permanent disability in adults. Acute ischemic stroke (AIS), which accounts for 85 % of cases, usually occurs as a result of a blood clot in the brain.

Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is the gold standard treatment for AIS patients. During this procedure, a catheter is threaded into an artery to reach the blood clot that caused the stroke. However, its efficacy is still limited to 50 % due to the lack of technologies to properly monitor patients and support decision-making before, during and after the thrombectomy.

The objective of this project is to develop BraiN20®, a non-invasive medical device that provides continuous monitoring of the brain viability of each patient, from AIS symptom onset and during the entire patient management. BraiN20® determines which AIS patients will benefit from MT ensuring accurate decisions of healthcare personnel, and detects intra and post-operative complications early, improving patient outcome. It is based on an automatic computational method that allows a fast, real-time, and bedside recording and analysis of N20, a patented biomarker, without the need for post-processing signal modifications.

The team has launched a startup called Time is Brain (TiB). The support of CaixaResearch Consolidate, they will complete the development and clinical validation of BraiN20®, and from here, they will seek regulatory approval and begin commercialization.