Biomarkers for advancing diagnosis and prognosis in stroke

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Biomarker Discovery
• Translational Medicine

Background:

• Stroke pathophysiology complexity challenges personalized medicine and novel therapy development.
• Current clinical tools lack precision in diagnosis, prognosis, and recurrence risk assessment for stroke.
• A lack of robust evidence hinders the clinical translation of potential stroke biomarkers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the knowledge gap in stroke biomarker research.
• To establish research priorities and reporting standards for stroke biomarker studies.
• To promote consistency and collaboration in biomarker discovery and validation.

Main Methods:

• An international multidisciplinary panel of stroke experts conducted a literature review.
• A Delphi consensus process informed the panel's recommendations.
• Identification of key domains in stroke care for biomarker research.

Main Results:

• The expert panel proposes 17 research priorities for stroke biomarker studies.
• Five minimum reporting datasets for stroke biomarker studies were defined.
• Priorities cover prehospital diagnosis, ischemic stroke progression, atrial cardiopathy, plaque vulnerability, and intracerebral hemorrhage.

Conclusions:

• A standardized framework is proposed to guide stroke biomarker research.
• This framework aims to accelerate the discovery, validation, and clinical translation of biomarkers.
• The ultimate goal is to improve stroke care through enhanced diagnostic and prognostic tools.