Ran Liu, MD

The principal goals of my research are focused on translational stroke research. Although rtPA is the sole FDA approved treatment for ischemic stroke, very few patients have been benefited from rtPA treatment because of its limited therapeutic window and the increased risk of hemorrhage transformation due to blood-brain barrier breakdown. We are among the first to explore the combined therapy to extend rtPA’s therapeutic window in ischemic stroke models. We have demonstrated that estrogens could extend the therapeutic window of rtPA for the treatment of ischemic stroke. In addition, our research has provided insight to target ischemic penumbra and beyond for the treatment of ischemic stroke.
Currently we repurpose a century-old drug, methylene blue, for the treatment of ischemic stroke. Our study demonstrates that large MCA territory infarct may induce long-lasting elevated GABAergic tonic inhibition in the hippocampus and, thus, contributes to cognitive impairment after ischemic stroke. All these results have led us to explore the role of GABAA receptor mediated neurotransmission in the cognitive impairment after large MCA territory infarct and to determine the effect of methylene blue on cognitive impairment after ischemic stroke.