The much-maligned upside-downer may be landing upright after all. The vampire bat, following centuries of scorn and ridicule, finds itself on the cutting edge of medical advances. Researchers have discovered that a derivative of the vampire bat's saliva may be the most effective early intervention in cases of ischemic stroke - strokes due to a blockage of an artery in the brain.
Stroke is serious business. The American Heart Association lists stroke as the third leading cause of death in America, following heart disease and cancer. About 700,000 people suffer strokes each year and there are currently over 5.5 million stroke survivors. Women suffer strokes more frequently than men, and they account for just over 60% of stroke deaths and roughly 55% of survivors.
How does the vampire bat enter into the equation? Researchers find that desmoteplase, a derivative of the bat's saliva, may be beneficial in treating stroke victims. The vampire bat's saliva has a natural anticoagulant property that inhibits the blood of its victims from clotting. In human trials, the saliva derivative also acts aggressively to breakdown existing blood clots in the brain, without doing damage to surrounding tissue. This is a decided advantage over the current early intervention drug, tissue plasminogen activator (TPA), and there may be additional advantages as well.
Time, of course, is critical in the treatment of stroke victims. TPA, to be both effective and safe, must be administered within three hours of the stroke. However, only about 3 percent of stroke victims receive treatment at a hospital within the three-hour window. The vampire bats apparently dealt with this issue long ago, and the saliva drug derivative triples the time available for treatment to a full nine hours. This advance alone makes the new drug the frontrunner in early intervention. In addition, the bat saliva derivative has proven to be more effective against blood clots and administration is quicker. TPA must be delivered intravenously, over about a one hour period, while the new bat derivative is administered directly by injection, within just a minute or two.
The bat saliva derivative is currently in Phase III clinical trials in eighty medical centers worldwide. Does this mean we'll soon see images of vampire bats on hospital emergency room signs? Doubtful. But, don't be surprised if you hear an overly eager neurology resident, caught up in the drama of treating her first stroke patient, shout, "Get the bat - stat!"
Tim Anderson is a freelance writer who has a special interest in medical topics. Visit his blog at medicalmigrant.blogspot.com/ |
|
