Blood marker to predict and track worsening brain injury after a spontaneous brain bleed
Official title: Advancing a Prognostic and Monitoring Biomarker of Neutrophil-driven Secondary Brain Injury in Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage for Neurotherapeutics Development
Funded at Boston University Medical Campus · NIH-11238981 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at a blood marker called DEspR+CD11b+ neutrophils to help predict or track worsening brain injury in people after a spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston University Medical Campus NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | December 1, 2024 |
| Project end | November 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $674,218 |
| NIH project number | 5R61NS135285-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11238981 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with spontaneous supratentorial deep intracerebral hemorrhage related to hypertension who are not on anticoagulant therapy and have no major immune deficiencies are the intended candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People whose brain bleeds are due to anticoagulant use, trauma, lobar causes, or who have immunological deficiencies are unlikely to match the patient group this work targets and may not benefit from the results.
What this research studies
You'll be asked to provide a small blood sample after a spontaneous brain bleed so researchers can measure a specific neutrophil type (DEspR+CD11b+ neutrophils) using flow cytometry. The team will create a standardized lab protocol to reliably detect this cell type and compare blood levels to brain swelling on scans and recovery at 90 days. The work focuses on adults with deep hypertensive brain bleeds who are not taking anticoagulant medications and aims to include a diverse, underserved patient group. If levels track with worsening or improving injury, the marker could be used to help pick patients for new treatments or to monitor responses during trials.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this marker could help doctors and trials identify patients at risk of worsening injury and track whether treatments are reducing harmful neutrophil-driven brain damage.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary data show correlations between DEspR+ neutrophil levels, brain swelling, and 90-day outcomes, but neutrophil biomarkers have not yet been clinically validated, so this is a novel, early-stage approach.
Where this research is happening
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Boston University Medical Campus
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Herrera, Victoria L — Boston University Medical Campus
- Study coordinator: Herrera, Victoria L
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Identifying a blood biomarker for brain injury after spontaneous bleeding in the brain
This study is looking at a specific blood marker that could help doctors predict and track brain injury in people who have had a serious type of stroke called spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage, so they can better understand how to treat and monitor their recovery.
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Anticoagulation in ICH Survivors with Atrial Fibrillation and Small Vessel Disease
This project looks at how to safely use blood-thinning medicines in people who survived a brain bleed and also have atrial fibrillation and small vessel disease.
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Statin use after lobar intracerebral hemorrhage
This trial compares continuing versus stopping statins in people who had a lobar intracerebral hemorrhage to see how that affects repeat brain bleeds, strokes, heart attacks, and recovery over two years.
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Statin use after lobar brain hemorrhage
This trial compares stopping versus continuing statin medicine in people who had a lobar brain bleed to learn effects on repeat bleeding and future heart or stroke events.
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Blocking red blood cell death after brain hemorrhage
A study at Yale is exploring whether stopping a specific kind of red blood cell death after a brain hemorrhage could improve recovery.
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Targeting HDAC3 to reduce brain damage after a brain bleed
This project will test whether blocking a protein called HDAC3 can reduce inflammation and improve recovery after an intracerebral hemorrhage (brain bleed).
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.