Stroke Research & Clinical Trials

About Our Current Research & Trials

BIDMC is a member of the NIH StrokeNet trials network, sponsored by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

BIDMC Researcher conducting a clinical trial for Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases BIDMC leads National Institutes of Health (NIH) research studies, called clinical trials, that are designed to find better treatments for stroke based on the most updated information from around the world.

Our stroke experts direct translational research (transforming scientific discoveries into clinical applications), epidemiologic research and clinical trials (studies that involve people) to develop new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to improve stroke care and recovery. The National Institute of Neurological Disease and Stroke, the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Deafness and other Communication Disorders, and other industry sponsors fund these studies.

Current/Ongoing Clinical Trials

Anticoagulation in ICH Survivors for Stroke Prevention and Recovery (ASPIRE) (Site PI: Dr. Magdy Selim)
The primary aim of this phase III trial is to determine if apixaban is superior to aspirin for prevention of the composite outcome of any stroke (hemorrhagic or ischemic) or death from any cause in patients with recent ICH and atrial fibrillation (AF).

Statins In Intracerebral Hemorrhage (SATURN) (Trial PI: Dr. Magdy Selim)
The SATURN trial aims to determine whether continuation vs. discontinuation of statin drugs after spontaneous lobar intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the best strategy; and whether the decision to continue/discontinue statins should be influenced by an individual's Apolipoprotein-E (APOE) genotype.

Sleep for Stroke Management and Recovery Trial (Sleep SMART) (Site PI: Dr. Jennifer Dearborn-Tomazos)
The purpose of this study is to determine whether treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with positive airway pressure starting shortly after acute ischemic stroke or high risk TIA (1) reduces recurrent stroke, acute coronary syndrome, and all-cause mortality 6 months after the event, and (2) improves stroke outcomes at 3 months in patients who experienced an ischemic stroke.

Phase 3 Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Intravenous BIIB093 (Glibenclamide) for Severe Cerebral Edema Following Large Hemispheric Infarction (CHARM) (Site PI: Dr. Vasileios Lioutas)
The primary objective is to determine if BIIB093 improves functional outcome at Day 90 as measured by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) when compared with placebo in participants with Large Hemispheric Infarction (LHI).

Multi-arm Optimization of Stroke Thrombolysis (MOST) (Site PI: Dr. Sandeep Kumar)
The primary efficacy objective of the MOST trial is to determine if argatroban or eptifibatide results in improved 90-day modified Rankin scores (mRS) as compared with placebo in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients treated with 0.9mg/kg IV rt-PA within three hours of symptom onset.

New England Regional Coordinating Center for the NINDS Stroke Trials Network
The goal of the NINDS Stroke Trials Network is to harness multidisciplinary stroke expertise across institutions to collaboratively and efficiently generate novel translational science and conduct exploratory NINDS-sponsored phase 1 and 2 clinical trials for stroke interventions with the goal to quickly move potential treatments into larger, confirmatory phase 3 trials.

AtRial Cardiopathy and Antithrombotic Drugs In Prevention After Cryptogenic Stroke (ARCADIA) (Site PI: Dr. Sandeep Kumar)
ARCADIA is a multicenter, biomarker-driven, randomized, double-blind, active-control, phase 3 clinical trial of apixaban versus aspirin in patients who have evidence of atrial cardiopathy and a recent stroke of unknown cause.

Basic Research

Dr. Amjad Shehadah conducts leading-edge basic research in animal stroke models. Dr. Shehadah's laboratory focuses on studying the roles of epigenetic mechanisms in experimental stroke. Using animal models for stroke and advanced molecular biology techniques, we conduct novel studies aiming to identify new molecular mechanisms that could be targeted to develop new drugs to treat stroke in patients.