Canadian and European Stroke Networks collaborate

Canadian Stroke Network (CSN) Scientific Director Antoine Hakim was in Budapest in early March for a meeting of the European Stroke Network (ESN). Dr. Hakim chairs the external scientific review committee of the European Stroke Network, created in 2008 and modeled after the CSN. Dr. Hakim and colleagues reviewed research progress in the ESN, identified new research opportunities and considered plans for moving forward.

Dr. Hakim was also in attendance for the announcement of the first collaborative research projects between the Canadian and European stroke networks. Eight projects received funding. A Canadian and a European principal investigator lead each of the projects. “It became clear that there are tremendous complementarities between the strengths on the Canadian and European sides.”

For example, Canada is very strong in research into recovery after stroke, while the Europeans are very strong in the area of immune modulation of stroke severity and recovery. “So you can see how putting these strengths together can result in a very focused and strong spectrum of knowledge on how to optimize recovery after stroke,” Dr. Hakim said.

The collaborative projects will lay the groundwork for further cross-Atlantic research efforts, he said.

Read the full list of projects here.