DRE AM INNOVATION GR ANT (DIG) 2016 RECIPIENTS
DE VELOPING RESE ARCH E XCELLENCE IN ANESTHESIA MANAGEMENT
Background
Ulrike Hoffmann, MD, PhD 2016 DIG RESEARCH PROJECT
Argon as a Potential Therapeutic in Stroke; Effects on Oxygen Utilization and Cerebral Blood Flow Response after Cortical Spreading Depression and Injury Depolarizations Dr. Hoffmann has been studying cortical spreading depression (CSD), an electrophysiological phenomenon important to the pathophysiology of not only migraines but also brain injury states such as stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage and traumatic brain injury. Injury depolarizations are important in the progression of tissue damage in ischemic stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage and trauma. In addition to her clinical work with patients, Dr. Hoffmann focuses her bench research on the changes in neurovascular coupling and the occurrence of spreading ischemia as an important injury mechanism. With the generous funds awarded by the DREAM Innovation Grant, Dr. Hoffmann will continue to explore how spreading depolarizations in the acutely injured brain evolve, supporting her work to characterize time patterns and options to diminish their occurrence thereby preventing the progression of an initial lesion. Argon as a potential therapeutic in stroke was tested regarding its potency to afford neuroprotection, and she will continue to assess its effect on the occurrence of spreading depolarizations and their accompanying cerebral blood flow characteristics. Data from these initial studies will help to obtain extramural support for further studies, and in the future, develop much needed new therapies for patients with acute brain injury.
• Grew up in East Germany. • Moved with her family to West Germany in 1989, before the fall of the Berlin Wall. • Received her M.D. and completed her doctoral thesis from The Charité, a large teaching hospital in Berlin. • Mentored by Professor Uwe Heinemann, Institute of Neurophysiology Charité Berlin, who interested her in neurophysiology and electrophysiology. • Completed her residency in anesthesiology at the University of Regensburg, Bavaria, where she established a strong focus in neuroanesthesia and neurointensive care medicine. • Completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School. • Worked with Dr. Michael Moskowitz and Dr. Cenk Ayata in the Neurovascular Protection Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she began to devote her research to the development and exploration of new therapeutic options for acute brain injury. • Completed her residency and also her Ph.D. in neuroscience at the Technical University of Munich. • Joined Duke Anesthesiology in 2015 as a junior faculty member in the Division of Neuroanesthesiology, Otolaryngology and Offsite Anesthesia Division, where she continues to conduct brain research.
Background
Niccolò Terrando, PhD 2016 DIG RESEARCH PROJECT
The Systemic Milieu and its Role in Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction Cognitive decline following hospitalization and critical illness is a leading cause of functional impairment worldwide. To begin addressing the pathogenesis of anesthesia and surgery-induced cognitive decline, Dr. Terrando developed an orthopedic surgical model in rodents and described a key role of the innate immune response, including pro-inflammatory cytokines and alarmins, in mediating neuroinflammation and cognitive decline. Through modulation of anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving mechanisms, he has been able to limit neuroinflammation, restoring cognitive function in preclinical models. Although clinical trials are beginning to evaluate neuroinflammatory changes in patients after surgery, the mechanisms underlying POCD remain controversial and without effective treatment. The DREAM Innovation Grant has helped Dr. Terrando further understand how peripheral surgical trauma contributes to the processes of neuroinflammation and memory dysfunction. Through the support of the DREAM Campaign, he will continue to foster a multidisciplinary approach to establish novel methodologies in understanding how the brain is affected by anesthesia and surgery. These initial data will provide the basis for an application to the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Terrando’s long-term goal is to identify relevant targets in the pathogenesis of POCD and develop safe and effective therapeutics. This will help his team translate these findings into novel clinical trials and improve personalized care.
• Originally from the countryside of Torino, Italy. • Moved to the U.K. after high school. • Received a dual B.S. with honors degree in neuroscience and biochemistry at Keele University. • Received his Ph.D. from Imperial College London. • Worked at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology under the mentorship of Professors Mervyn Maze, Sir Marc Feldmann and Claudia Monaco. • Completed his postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Francisco. • Studied the signaling between peripheral inflammation and memory dysfunction, focusing specifically on macrophage activity and bloodbrain barrier disruption after surgery. • Formerly an assistant professor at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. • Developed a program on the effects of general anesthesia on the developing brain in collaboration with several investigators throughout Europe and the European Society of Anesthesiology. • Joined Duke Anesthesiology faculty in 2015 as an assistant professor in the Basic Sciences Division • Established the Perioperative Neurocognitive Outcomes Laboratory.
DRE AMC AMPAIGN.DUHS.DUKE.EDU BluePrint 2016
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