# Role of CD13 in Ischemic Stroke

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON · 2020 · $444,074

## Abstract

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability worldwide. Multiple mechanisms are involved in the
pathophysiology of ischemic stroke, including blood-brain barrier disruption, microglial activation, and infiltration
of peripheral immune cells. A plethora of drugs showing neuroprotection in preclinical studies have failed to show
efficacy in clinical trials. Multiple factors contribute to these disappointing failures, including study design, use of
inappropriate animal models (i.e. exclusive use of young animals), impractical therapeutic windows (acute vs
chronic), and poor target selection. Stroke results in biphasic injury: acute (minutes to hours) and chronic (weeks
to months) injury. During the acute injury phase, the cross talk between intrinsic and infiltrating peripheral immune
cells lead to neuroinflammation. However, restorative processes are stimulated during the chronic phase of
stroke. Inhibition of circulating leukocyte transmigration, especially monocytes and neutrophils at early time
points will reduce neuroinflammation. Additionally, invigorating restorative processes including angiogenesis will
benefit long-term functional outcomes post stroke. CD13 is a membrane-bound metalloprotease, shown to
upregulate monocytes and neutrophils and promote their transmigration. On the other hand, CD13 upregulation
on angiogenic vessels plays a role in repair after injury. The proposed work will examine the effects of CD13 in
post stroke inflammation and recovery. Mechanistic studies will be performed in CD13 knockout animals; CD13
deletion in myeloid cells and endothelial cells will allow us to study its role in acute injury and recovery post
stroke respectively (Aim 1). We will then determine the pharmacological efficacy of CD13 inhibition (acute Vs
chronic phase) using a specific inhibitor, Ubenimex, in a clinically relevant aged stroke model (Aim 2).

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9979469
- **Project number:** 1R21NS114836-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Anjali Chauhan
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $444,074
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-05-01 → 2022-10-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9979469

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9979469, Role of CD13 in Ischemic Stroke (1R21NS114836-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9979469. Licensed CC0.

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