Blood marker to predict and track worsening brain injury after a spontaneous brain bleed
Advancing a Prognostic and Monitoring Biomarker of Neutrophil-driven Secondary Brain Injury in Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage for Neurotherapeutics Development
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 ID | NIH-11238981 on NIH RePORTER |
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.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: 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.
Not a fit: 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.
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 performed: 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
Boston, United States
- Boston University Medical Campus — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Herrera, Victoria L — Boston University Medical Campus
- Study coordinator: Herrera, Victoria L
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 below.