NHMRC funding success 2016
Dr Neil Spratt has been awarded more than $875,000 in NHMRC funding commencing in 2016 to further his stroke research.
He will receive $463,652 for a Career Development Fellowship investigating New Therapies for Stroke – Preventing Stroke Progression and Enhancing Recovery, as well as a Project Grant of $411,495 to research A new understanding of stroke pathophysiology: late infarct expansion may be under-recognised and easily preventable.
About the projects
New Therapies for Stroke – Preventing Stroke Progression and Enhancing Recovery
Stroke is a major cause of death and disability worldwide. Dr Spratt's team have discovered a new mechanism causing pressure to rise in the skull after stroke. They will build on their discovery of a promising new therapy to prevent early worsening of stroke and improve patient outcomes. He also leads a team studying better stroke recovery by promoting activity by enriching the rehabilitation environment, and ways to improve fitness in stroke survivors.
A new understanding of stroke pathophysiology: late infarct expansion may be under-recognised and easily preventable.
Stroke caused by a blood clot blocking a brain artery is one of the leading causes of death and disability. We recently discovered that pressure in the skull rises 24 h after stroke. Increasing evidence suggests that this causes growth of the stroke through its effects on brain blood flow. We will measure the blood flow reduction caused by the pressure rise and how frequent it is, then determine how much brain is saved and disability prevented by blocking it.
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