Regenerative Neuroimmunology
Short description
Stroke affects about 12 million people worldwide annually and leads to long-lasting or permanent disability. No efficient therapy is currently available, except for the removal of the occluding blood clot during the first hours after ischemic stroke.
Our research team showed that intranasal treatment with a C3a peptide accelerates functional recovery after experimental stroke. The treatment is effective even when started a full week after stroke, which means that intranasal C3a could help to reduce neurological impairments and improve the quality of life for the majority of, if not all, stroke survivors. Our goal is to translate this novel treatment to clinical stroke care.
Selected publications
Complement C3a treatment accelerates recovery after stroke via modulation of astrocyte reactivity and cortical connectivity.
Stokowska, A., Aswendt, M., Žucha, D., et al.
J Clin Invest. 2023;133:e162253.
Reactive astrocyte nomenclature, definitions, and future directions.
Escartin, C., Galea, E., Lakatos, A., et al.
Nat Neurosci. 2021;24: 312-325.
Complement peptide C3a stimulates neural plasticity after experimental ischemic brain injury.
Stokowska, A., Atkins, A.L., Moran, J., et al.
Brain 2017;140: 353-369.
Intranasal C3a treatment ameliorates cognitive impairment in a mouse model of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.
Moran, J., Stokowska, A., Walker, F.R., et al.
Exp Neurol. 2017;290:74-84.
Long-term improvements after multimodal rehabilitation in late phase after stroke: a randomised controlled trial.
Bunketorp Käll, L., Lundgren-Nilsson, Å., Samuelsson, H., et al.
Stroke 2017;48:1916-1924.
Complement peptide C3a promotes astrocyte survival in response to ischemic stress.
Shinjyo, N., De Pablo, Y., Pekny, M., Pekna, M.
Mol Neurobiol. 2016;53:3076-3087.
Astrocyte reactivity and reactive astrogliosis: costs and benefits.
Pekny, M., Pekna, M.
Physiol Rev.2014;94:1077-1098.
Receptor for complement peptide C3a: a therapeutic target for neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.
Järlestedt, K., Rousset, C.I., Ståhlberg, A., et al.
FASEB J. 2013;27:3797-3804.
Complement-derived anaphylatoxin C3a regulates in vitro differentiation and migration of neural progenitor cells.
Shinjyo, N., Ståhlberg, A., Dragunow, M.,
Stem Cells 2009;27:2824-2832.
Complement: a novel factor in ischemia induced neurogenesis.
Rahpeymai, Y., Hietala, M.A., Wilhelmsson, U., et al.
EMBO J. 2006;25:1364-1374.
Group members
Principal Investigator:
Marcela Pekna, MD, PhD, professor
Doctoral student:
Maria Mode, MD
Researchers:
Anna Stokowska, PhD
Alumni:
Yixian Li, Stephanie Lohmann, Andrea Pozo-Rodrigalvarez, Men Su, Javier Moran Suarez, Noriko Shinjyo, Michaela Pascoe, Alison Atkins, Marta Perez Alcazar, Max Albert Hietala, Rosanna Olsen, Linda Persson, Yalda Rahpeymai Bogestål
