Y-SPAN: Yale Translational Cerebroprotection Program in SPAN

Project Summary. The project proposes a rodent preclinical stroke therapeutics testing site at Yale for the NINDS program Stroke Preclinical Assessment Network (SPAN) to Support Translational Studies for Acute Cerebroprotection. A team of investigators including basic scientists studying mechanisms of injury after stroke, translational researchers, biomedical imaging specialists, and clinical trialists form a highly collaborative and interactive team dedicated to testing candidate cerebroprotectants selected by NINDS under the oversight of a national coordinating center. The overall goal is to identify the most promising candidates for novel stroke therapies to then be tested in clinical trials, advancing the care for stroke patients. In Aim 1 of the project we will establish the SPAN standard operating protocols and timeline for testing of the interventions. In Aim 2, we will test the efficacy of candidate cerebroprotectants in multiple rodent models of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion, including models incorporating aging and comorbidities. In an exploratory Aim 3, we will test innovative methods to improve the predictive value of the SPAN testing protocols to identify candidate treatments that will be efficacious in patients and enhance the impact of SPAN.