December 2025 – Maintaining a functional blood–brain barrier (BBB) is crucial for brain function, but human models are needed to better understand human disease. ISD researchers developed a human BBB model from stem cells that recreates key features of brain vasculature and allows investigating disease mechanisms and therapeutic interventions. When they inactivated the stroke-risk gene FOXF2 in the BBB, the barrier became dysfunctional, which they could alleviate using an LNP-based treatment.

XXX 2025 – Small vessel disease (SVD) is a major cause of stroke, yet its molecular drivers remain elusive. ISD researchers now show that the stroke-risk gene FOXF2 is essential for maintaining healthy brain vessels by sustaining Tie2 signaling in endothelial cells. Loss of FOXF2 disrupted endothelial function, impaired blood–brain barrier integrity, and worsened outcomes after experimental stroke. Activating Tie2 with AKB-9778 rescued these deficits. The findings identify FOXF2–Tie2 signaling as a critical pathway in SVD and highlight a promising therapeutic target.

XXX 2025 – The European Research Council has awarded a prestigious 2-million-euro Consolidator Grant to support TRAINED, a project led by Arthur Liesz that investigates how maladaptive trained immunity drives systemic inflammation and multimorbidity after stroke and myocardial infarction. Combining advanced multi-omics, innovative models and human validation, the project aims to uncover new therapeutic strategies. >> https://erc.europa.eu