Tamping down stroke damage with a drug that protects brain cells

Neuroscientists at the University of Pittsburgh have identified a novel drug they believe could protect the brain from neuronal tissue damage during and after a stroke.

The drug, called TAT-DP-2, works by disrupting a potassium ion channel that’s key to regulating neuronal death. In mice, administering the drug after stroke led to reduced brain damage, according to a new study published in the journal Science Advances.