So far, scientists have discovered 12 caspases, several of which they hope will make good targets for future drugs. Michael Moskowitz is applying basic apoptosis research to the experimental treatment of stroke in mice. A report in the May 15 Journal of Neuroscience is the latest in a string of papers describing two separate molecular pathways that bring into view a fairly complete picture of how caspase proteins exacerbate brain damage in the aftermath of a stroke. Stroke is one of the world's biggest killers. The leading cause of death in Yuan's native China, it afflicts about 550,000 people annually in the U.S., leaving in its wake 3 million current survivors who struggle with disability.
Stroke is also one of the most intractable medical problems.
That is slowly changing. It is now clear that a stroke causes different types of cell death. Much like an earthquake, a stroke wreaks swift havoc around its epicenter, destroying cells in a process called necrosis. But farther away, the stroke's ripple effects cause cells to kill themselves by apoptosis. This slower process can take days, and it determines the extent of the ensuing brain damage.