miRNA PC-5P-12969 expression levels in patients with acute ischemic stroke confirmed by intracranial imaging and a matched control group.

• Applicant: Dr. Jan Rahmig
• Subject Area: Molecular and Cellular Neurology and Neuropathology ; Clinical Neurology; Neurosurgery and Neuroradiology
• Term: from 2022 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 519230051

In 2019, the World Health Organization considered cerebrovascular disease the second leading cause of death worldwide and the leading cause of serious long-term disability. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to diagnose an acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in a short manner of time in order to avoid severe sequelae. However, the sensitivity for detecting AIS by acute brain imaging (CT, MRI) varies from 57% to 83% in the hyperacute phase. Biomarkers might be able to close this diagnostic gap. To date, no suitable biomarker for the detection of AIS is known. However, the novel miRNA PC-5P-12969 represents a very promising biomarker. In a miRNA sequencing analysis by Vijayan et al., a total of 4656 miRNAs were examined in AIS patients compared with healthy controls. Of those, 4 miRNAs showed to be suitable for further investigation. Especially, the novel miRNA PC-5p-12969 showed a pronounced up-regulation and seems to be stable once released to the blood from tissues and detection can be performed with high reliability. This biomarker can be used in daily clinical practice without exposing patients to any risks. Given that arterial hypertension constitutes the most important risk factor for stroke and existing evidence that hypertension impacts miRNA expression, it is important to compare matched controls with existing cardiovascular risk factors including arterial hypertension with patients suffering from AIS. Therefore, the elaborated research question of this prospective experimental study is "Are qRT-PCR measured blood-based miRNA PC-5P-12969 expression levels on admission different between in intracranial imaging-confirmed (CT/MRI) acute ischemic stroke patients and matched controls?" The primary objective of the clinical is to measure miRNA PC-5P-12969 expression levels in the plasma of patients with acute ischemic stroke on hospital admission and their relatives or suitable participants (matched for risk profile). Further aims are: I) to compare observed functional outcomes (measured by the modified Rankin Scale) 90 days +/- 14 days after symptom onset with measured expression levels of miRNA PC-5P-12969. II) To compare measured miRNA PC-5P-12969 expression levels between the following groups: recurrent stroke, no recurrent stroke 90 +/- 14 days after symptom onset. III) To correlate miRNA PC-5P-12969 expression levels on admission and other variables, such as size of detected stroke, time from symptom onset to blood sampling, renal function, creatinine, systolic blood pressure. IIII) To investigate possible influencing/interacting variables on the expression levels of miRNA PC-5P-12969. Possible influencing variables: atrial fibrillation, chronic heart failure, dyslipoproteinemia, diabetes mellitus type I or II, hypertension, alcohol and nicotine abuse

• DFG Programme: WBP Fellowship
• International Connection: USA
• Host: Professor Dr. Steven Levine