SMARTCap
Research type
Research Study
Full title
SMARTCap: A field-deployable blood test for stroke, capable of detecting brain ischaemia from the earliest stages of pathology
IRAS ID
156750
Contact name
Christopher Imray
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust
Research summary
Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the UK and currently costs the country £7b per year. There is an overwhelming need to accurately and rapidly triage patients to allow best use of finite NHS specialist resources for the treatment of stroke.
We propose a simple blood test of substances (the purines) that result from cellular metabolism and are produced in excess when brain cells are starved of oxygen and glucost (as occurs during a stroke). We have used our sensors to measure blood purines during a procedure in which blood flow to the brain is reduced to allow surgical interventions on the major arteries that supply the brain. Our studies show that as soon as blood flow to the brain is reduced, purines are produced within minutes and are detectable in systemic arterial blood.
Our project will now compare the levels of purines in blood of stroke patients and controls. The purines will be measured on admission to hospital and 24 hours later. The occurrence and magnitude of a stroke will be determined by an MRI scan given between 24 and 48 hours after admission. This study will establish whether purine are elevated in the blood of stroke patients on admission to hospital and whether this correlates with the size of the stroke and damage to the brain.
REC name
West Midlands - Coventry & Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/WM/1067
Date of REC Opinion
19 Aug 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion