Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Stroke, the interruption of the blood flow or the rupture of blood vessels in the brain, affects 1 in 4000 live births and is a significant cause of neonatal mortality and neurodevelopmental disability. It has been shown that the loss of neurological functions is caused by massive loss of brain cells called neurons resulting from hypoxic-ischemic insults following stroke. Because neurons are highly specialized cells and have little capacity to regenerate new ones, it is extremely important to protect them from degeneration after stroke. Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that the death-inducing gene BNIP3 and its related family members are involved in the death of neurons after stroke. The objectives of the proposed project are to determine the protective effects of blocking all members of the BNIP3 gene family on neurons against hypoxia-induced cell death using cutting-edge techniques and to understand the mechanism by which a small molecule called necrostatin-1 inhibits the activity of BNIP3. The outcome of the project may define novel neuronal death pathways, may identify the first inhibitor for the death-inducing protein BNIP3 and will provide insights for the development of new neuroprotective strategies that can be potentially translated to bedside care of stroke patients.