DFG Research Unit FOR 2879

Stroke is the primary cause of long-term disability and the third leading cause of death in industrialized countries. In Germany, the annual incidence of stroke is above 250,000. The lifetime risk of experiencing a stroke ranges from 8% to 10% and continues to rise due to demographic changes. Current treatments for stroke are limited, and preclinical experimental findings often fail in clinical trials. Hence, new avenues of basic research with high translation potential are desperately needed in order to develop effective therapeutic strategies. The neuroinflammatory response after ischemic brain injury has been well established as a key pathomechanisms in stroke. While neuroinflammatory mechanisms have been described in great detail for the acute phase after ischemic brain injury, mechanisms of brain-immune interaction during the chronic recovery phase as well as consequences of immunomodulatory interventions for post-stroke recovery are barely understood. Therefore, this research unit will focus on studying the role of immunity in repair mechanisms and long-term recovery following stroke. 

Stroke is the primary cause of long-term disability and the third leading cause of death in industrialized countries. In Germany, the annual incidence of stroke is above 250,000. The lifetime risk of experiencing a stroke ranges from 8% to 10% and continues to rise due to demographic changes. Current treatments for stroke are limited, and preclinical experimental findings often fail in clinical trials. Hence, new avenues of basic research with high translation potential are desperately needed in order to develop effective therapeutic strategies. The neuroinflammatory response after ischemic brain injury has been well established as a key pathomechanisms in stroke.