Every 10 minutes, someone in Canada suffers a stroke, usually because of a clot blocking blood flow to the brain. While lack of blood is the first thing to kill brain cells, collateral damage from immune cells trying to clean up the mess can be just as bad.

New research led by Dr. Hsiao–Huei Chen suggests a novel approach to treat stroke by controlling inflammation. Dr. Chen and her colleagues found that interferon beta, a key mediator of inflammation, can reduce stroke damage in a mouse model, as long as the mice are making a protein called IRF2BP2.

Interferon beta is commonly used to treat MS as well as certain viral infections and cancers. Its potential to treat stroke is controversial, but this research suggests that using interferon beta together with drugs that increase IRF2BP2 could represent a powerful combination.

The research paper was published in the journal Cellular Neuroscience.