Researchers at SUNY Downstate Find Drug Combination May Treat Traumatic Brain Injury
Sep 17, 2010
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious public health problem in the United States. Recent data show that approximately 1.7 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury annually. While the majority of TBIs are concussions or other mild forms, traumatic brain injuries contribute to a substantial number of deaths and cases of permanent disability.
Currently, there are no drugs available to treat TBI: a variety of single drugs have failed clinical trials, suggesting a possible role for drug combinations. Testing this hypothesis in an animal model, researchers at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University tested five drugs in various combinations. Their observations, published recently in the journal PLoS One, suggest a potentially valuable role for minocycline plus N-acetylcysteine to treat TBI. The Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs recently cited this work, funded by the Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Research Program, as an outstanding example of research.
The PLoS One article is available for free at
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0012490
Peter J. Bergold, PhD, associate professor of physiology and pharmacology at SUNY
Downstate, and the article’s corresponding author, said, “There is great need for
drugs to treat TBI. Perhaps the fastest way to get treatments to the clinic is to
combine drugs already known to be both safe and effective. The combination of minocycline
and
N-acetylcysteine showed a large, synergistic improvement of cognition and memory after
experimental traumatic brain injury. We are continuing these studies to get this
combination in a clinical trial.”
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About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (SUNY) 64-campus system and the only SUNY AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough’s 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate’s exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.