Using genetics to understand why disease of the small blood vessels in the brain occurs.
This research is about bleeding (haemorrhage) in the brain caused by bursting (rupture) of an abnormal swelling (aneurysm) – causing a devastating form of stroke known as subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH).
Can we identify genetic risk factors that cause disease of small blood vessels in the brain?
Can using a tissue sample from the buttock help us understand the main genetic cause of stroke?
Researchers at King's College London have performed a large scale meta-analysis of previous research into a genetic variant of a protein implicated in stroke.
INTERSTROKE is a large, international study that aims to include 12000 participants who have had a stroke and 12000 matching “controls”- volunteers of the same age and sex who have not had a stroke.
CADASIL is one of the most common genetic causes of stroke and dementia. Currently there is no treatment for CADASIL. In this study, human stem cells will be generated from a piece of skin donated by patients with CADASIL. From these stem cells, smooth muscle cells (SMCs) will be generated in a tissue culture dish in the lab.
If we are to discover which underlying genes cause stroke, we need to collect DNA from large numbers of patients who have had a lacunar stroke. An existing collection of DNA (extracted from blood samples) from patients has been established with the aid of a Wellcome Trust grant, this is called the UK Young Lacunar Stroke DNA Database.
These summaries of our completed research projects highlight what work was undertaken, which aims were achieved and where the research is going next.
Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is an unusual form of stroke. It is little researched largely because it accounts for less than 1% of all strokes. The study will provide a much better understanding for the reasons underlying CVT, which is an unusual but very important cause of stroke in young (mainly female) adults.