Stroke Preclinical Intervention Trial
SPRINT Labs
We are a network of eight stroke laboratories across Germany collaborating to build a platform for rigorous testing of potential stroke treatments.
The Aswendt Lab
The Aswendt Lab is a multidisciplinary team of neuroscientists, engineers, and clinicians dedicated to unraveling the mechanisms underlying individual differences in spontaneous functional recovery after stroke. To this end, we leverage advanced, multimodal neurotechnologies, including kinematic analysis of motor deficts, in vivo MRI, structural and functional network analysis, viral tracing, and light-sheet microscopy in experimental stroke models in mice.
Our research explores the development of motor deficits in relation to molecular, cellular and network-level changes with the aim to develop innovative neuromodulation and regeneration paradigms to enhance endogenous plasticity mechanisms and improve stroke recovery.
We are committed to open science principles, embracing FAIR data workflows, and standardization initiatives to ensure our research data and software are publicly accessible, transparent and reusable.
The Harms Lab
The Harms lab research centers on rodent models of stroke, neuroimaging techniques, and molecular approaches to stroke therapy. We are especially interested in how the brain defends itself ('endogenous neuroprotection') and how the brain's plasticity might be boosted to promote stroke healing and functional recovery.
The primary focus of the group are early pharmacological or advanced biological interventions that integrate thrombolysis or post-thrombectomy strategies with stroke management to mitigate reperfusion injury and enhance vascular resilience. Further, we are interested in enhancing the brain's plasticity to facilitate recovery and improve functionality following a stroke.
The Harms team investigates collateral plasticity and post-stroke angiogenesis which it believes to be essential for re-establishing disrupted networks and alleviating symptom burden. Inflammation which serves as a critical modulator at the molecular level, influencing the microenvironment through the interactions of resident and invading cells with the microbiome is another focus of the group.
The Plesnila Lab
The main interest of the Plesnila laboratory is to study cerebral microvessels in health and disease and to use the evolving knowledge to develop novel therapeutic strategies for patients. For this purpose, we use in vitro and in vivo models for acute and chronic brain disorders, e.g., ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, brain trauma, migraine, and cerebral small vessel disease, and investigate neuro-vascular morphology and function by using AAV- and nanoparticle-based labeling and genetically encoded sensor technology together with in vivo multi-photon microscopy.
The Hermann Lab
In our research group, we focus on experimental stroke models, both in vivo and in vitro. We investigate molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways that are affected following an ischemic event.
Our group places particular emphasis on the function of extracellular vesicles (EVs) released from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and their influence on reorganization processes such as angiogenesis, neurogenesis, and plasticity in the stroke-affected brain, as well as on angiogenic processes in endothelial cells. Another aim of our research is to analyze the molecular composition of EVs derived from MSCs and to study the impact of various stress stimuli on MSCs with regard to the secretion and function of EVs.