West Orange, NJ. July 30, 2014. A new network of 25 regional stroke centers and satellite facilities - the NIH Stroke Trials Network (NIH StrokeNet) – is working to change the way stroke research is conducted in the U.S. Despite advances of the last two decades, stroke remains a major public health problem. Each year, stroke causes death or disability for 795,000 Americans. The numbers are expected to rise rapidly with the aging of the population.
To accelerate the pace of progress, NIH StrokeNet brings together teams of research experts specializing in prevention, treatment and recovery. NIH StrokeNet investigators, working with the broader stroke community, are identifying priorities for stroke research protocols and providing training opportunities for the future generation of stroke researchers. "The new system is intended to streamline stroke research by centralizing approval and review, lessening time and costs of clinical trials, and assembling a comprehensive data sharing system," said Petra Kaufmann, M.D., associate director for clinical research at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), which funds and manages NIH StrokeNet. The goal is to initiate four or five NINDS-funded exploratory Phase I and II clinical trials, and two to four Phase III trials over the next five years.
Kessler Foundation, which specializes in research in stroke rehabilitation and neuroimaging, connects with the new network via Columbia University in New York City, one of the regional centers in NIH StrokeNet. Kessler Foundation is also known for its training of rehabilitation researchers in stroke, as well as in brain injury, spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis. Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, one of the nation's leading rehabilitation hospitals, provides comprehensive stroke treatment and services at its three New Jersey campuses. As the nation's largest single rehabilitation hospital, Kessler Institute is also recognized for its programs for brain injury, spinal cord injury, neurological diseases, orthopedic trauma, amputation and cardiac recovery.
"We are pleased to contribute to this important initiative, which will facilitate the application of new strategies to the clinical care of stroke survivors," said A.M. Barrett, M.D., director of Stroke Rehabilitation Research at Kessler Foundation, and chief of NeuroRehabilitation Program Innovation at Kessler Institute. "Access to effective cognitive and physical rehabilitation is critical to recovery after stroke."
Funded by NINDS subaward 008822-133496
About Kessler Foundation
Kessler Foundation, a major nonprofit organization in the field of disability, is a global leader in rehabilitation research that seeks to improve cognition, mobility and long-term outcomes, including employment, for people with neurological disabilities caused by diseases and injuries of the brain and spinal cord. Kessler Foundation leads the nation in funding innovative programs that expand opportunities for employment for people with disabilities. For more information, visit KesslerFoundation.org; Tweet us @KesslerFdn
About Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation
Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation is nationally recognized for the treatment and research of both spinal cord and brain injuries and leads the field in the care and treatment for stroke, neurological diseases, amputation, orthopedic and musculoskeletal conditions and cardiac recovery. Ranked as one of the top two rehabilitation hospitals in the nation and best in the greater New York/New Jersey metropolitan area by U.S. News & World Report, Kessler has three hospital campuses in West Orange, Saddle Brook and Chester, N.J., and more than 85 outpatient centers throughout the state. For more information, visit http://www.kessler-rehab.com/.
Contacts:
Carolann Murphy, 973.324.8382, CMurphy@KesslerFoundation.org
Lauren Scrivo, 973.324.8384, 973.768.6583 - c, LScrivo@KesslerFoundation.org
Gail Solomon, 973.243.6879, 973.567.1327 - c, gsolomon@kessler-rehab.com