Conditions: Ischemic Stroke
Keywords: Minor stroke
Allocation: NA | Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Enrollment: 50
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
This trial will enroll patients that have been diagnosed with a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or minor stroke that has occurred within the past 12 hours. Anyone diagnosed with a minor stroke faces the possibility of long-term disability and even death, regardless of treatment. Stroke symptoms such as weakness, difficulty speaking and paralysis may improve or worsen over the hours or days immediately following a stroke. The purpose of this research trial is to study the effects of a clot-dissolving drug, tenecteplase (TNK-tPA), as a treatment for patients who arrive within twelve hours from stroke onset. This study is attempting to see if TNK-tPA given through a vein in the arm (intravenous) to patients is a safe treatment for stroke patients. Neither the safety nor the effectiveness of this treatment has been proven yet.

This trial will be conducted at several site in Canada.

Dr Michael Hill and Dr. Shelagh Coutts are the Principal Investigators of this trial, coordinated at the University of Calgary, Foothills Medical Centre.

Detailed description:
The primary objective of TEMPO-1 is to demonstrate the safety and feasibility of using TNK-tPA (tenecteplase), a thrombolytic agent that is relatively novel to the treatment ischemic stroke but well-established in the treatment of myocardial infarction, to treat minor ischemic stroke patients with proven acute symptomatic occlusions. Up to 80% of ischemic stroke is minor and initially non-disabling. These patients present with a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or minor stroke.An overwhelming majority are not treated with thrombolysis as they are considered "too good to treat" by most physicians.

TEMPO-1 will enroll patients within a 12 hour time window with a NIHSS score of \<6 and an ASPECTS \>5. Patients must have an intracranial occlusion on CTA. Study drug must be administered within 90 minutes from the first slice of CTA. This is an open- label, multi-centre trial, dose- escalated trial. A total of 50 patients will be enrolled, 25 per tier. There will two dose tiers at 0.1 mg/kg and 0.25 mg/kg. Advancement to the second dose-tier will be dependent upon safe completion of the 1st dose tier and the approval of the DSMB.

Patients will undergo a study CT angiogram of the intracranial circulation between 4-8 hours after treatment to determine the biological effect of the drug - whether the occluded artery has recanalized or not. Patients will be assessed at 24 and 48 hours, and at Days 5, 30, and 90.

Arms:
arm 1: This is an open-label trial, all patients will receive tenecteplase.

Interventions: intervention 1: Tenecteplase
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Tenecteplase will be given to the patient as an intravenous bolus over 1- 2 minutes within 90 minutes of the first slice of the CTA. This is an open-label trial, all patients will receive tenecteplase, either tier 1 or tier 2 dosage.

Protocol document: