In the case of cerebral strokes, the need for care is urgent: every passing minute without treatment decreases the chances of the patient’s recovery from the stroke. However, current diagnostic methods are slow. A diagnosis differentiating between cerebral thrombosis and haemorrhage, relevant in terms of care, can only be made in hospital using brain-imaging equipment.
Professor Mikko Airavaara and his team at the University of Helsinki are now tackling this problem in the OxyBioStroke project by developing a test that would identify cerebral strokes in patients even in the ambulance. This test would make it possible to initiate thrombolytic therapy on the way to the hospital. There are currently no similar tools on the market.
“We have attracted a lot of interest when introducing the idea,” Airavaara says.
Each year more than a million people have a stroke in the EU, and it is among leading causes for adult disability. Early treatment would help more patients recover better from the event. The OxyBioStroke test could also help quickly diagnose patients with mild symptoms.
“They may not receive treatment right away if the urgency of the situation is not understood,” says Commercialisation Specialist Ilkka Fagerlund.
The OxyBioStroke test relies on a blood-based biomarker that describes the products of fatty-acid metabolism. When brain cells recover from a stroke, they form a stress response associated with changes in the metabolism of fatty acids.
The test would provide information on both the formation of blood clots in blood vessels and cellular changes that cause brain damage. The innovation would be ground-breaking, as strokes cannot yet be identified with biomarkers.
“We have very promising data from animal studies, Fagerlund says.
The next step is clinical research, which the team wishes to carry out with Finnish biobanks and hospitals. In the effort, the functioning of the biomarker would be tested with samples collected from various types of stroke patients in the first six hours after the event.
“We need very early-stage blood samples, and they are not available in biobanks anywhere in the world,” Fagerlund explains.
OxyBioStroke received a two-year Research to Business grant from Business Finland in the beginning of 2024 to prepare for commercialisation. During the project, the team will survey the needs of end-users, that is, nurses and doctors. At the same time, the clinical pilot will provide more information on which questions can be answered with the help of the biomarker and which patients it would most benefit.
“The intended use of the diagnostic test will be further specified,” Fagerlund says.
The project is based on the research carried out by Airavaara’s group on, among other things, strokes and cellular stress. Fagerlund provides expertise in biomarkers, while University Researcher Helike Lõhelaid, the third team member, specialises in lipids. The idea for the test emerged when analysing the results of our animal studies.
“In dialogue with our collaboration partners, we realised that the fingerprint of metabolites can be used as a biomarker for detecting strokes,” Airavaara says.
According to Fagerlund, the first product could be launched within five years. It would be a Research Use Only in vitro method that doctors treating stroke patients could use in their scientific efforts. In fact, the team is now looking for clinicians involved in stroke research as partners.
“These kind of partnerships are key for us, as they are our future customers."
The first-stage product could also be used by pharmaceutical companies that develop stroke therapies. Later on, the aim is to obtain approval for the test for clinical use.
OxyBioStroke wishes to continue developing the product in a spinout. Before that, the team is also interested in intermediate funding, and will be happy to discuss it with deep tech investors. In the best-case scenario, the OxyBioStroke test could be used in the future around the world.
“There is a lot of potential in this,” Airavaara sums up.
Strokes result in a long-term disability, and in initiating care every minute counts in terms of the patient’s recovery. With current methods, it takes too long to obtain a diagnosis.
OxyBioStroke is developing a blood-based biomarker that can be used to diagnose strokes and cerebral haemorrhages more quickly. This would make it possible to initiate thrombolytic therapy already in the ambulance on the way to hospital.
The goal is to continue developing the product in a spinout. In five years, the test could be for sale for research use. Once approved by the regulatory authorities, the test could also be sold for diagnostic use.
The OxyBioStroke team is looking for doctors involved in research related to strokes as partners. The team is also happy to network with investors specialised in the deep tech field.
Mikko Airavaara, Professor of Pharmacology and Drug Development (project lead)
mikko.airavaara@helsinki.fi
Ilkka Fagerlund, Commercialisation Lead
ilkka.fagerlund@helsinki.fi
Helike Lõhelaid, University Researcher
helike.lohelaid@helsinki.fi