The Canadian Light Source at the University of Saskatchewan says a team of international collaborators has been researching a promising new therapeutic for the treatment of strokes and other brain injuries.
In a recent paper published in BBA-Biomembranes, researchers from the University of Saskatchewan, Columbia University, and the University of Oxford, have used synchrotron imaging, combined with traditional techniques, to assess the effects of an FDA-approved antipsychotic medication, known as TFP, during the acute phase post stroke.

With the help of the CLS at USask and the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Light Source, the team was able to measure subtle changes in the biochemistry of brain tissue .
Dr. Mootaz Salman of Oxford says, “The synchrotron at the CLS provides us with a tool that allowed us to map unprecedented levels of brain detail.”

Already approved for human use in the treatment of schizophrenia, the team believes that TFP has the potential to stop the swelling in the brain that occurs after a stroke or other cerebral injury.
The team has demonstrated that a dose of TFP reduces edema in a mouse model of stroke a breakthrough that could lead to the development of new treatment options for stroke patients.