Clinical trials

This study will develop and validate a novel, active/conductive combined head and neck cooling system to selectively cool the ischemic penumbra during the acute phase of stroke, reducing neuronal damage and improving stroke outcomes. It complements existing reperfusion therapies offering a scalable neuroprotective option which will have wider implications across diverse healthcare settings. PHASE I: Technology Development \& Test Bench Optimization (Years 1-2) PHASE II: Validation in healthy volunteers (Year 3) PHASE III: Pilot, multicenter, randomized controlled (Phase 2a) trial (Year 4-5):

CEREBO is an ICMR award winning point-of-care (POC) adjunct CT scanning device for detecting brain hematomas in patients with head injury. The study aims to validate the diagnostic accuracy of the PREDICT Assessment Model (CEREBO-NIRS plus GFAP/D-Dimer POC Assay) in patients with suspected stroke. The study will be conducted as part of the Indian Council of Medical Research's National Health Research Priority (ICMR-NHRP) under the INDIA-EMS project using a two phase design. PHASE I: Validation of a diagnostic accuracy and feasbility of PREDICT assessment model (a combined approach using GFAP/ D-dimer POC lateral flow assay plus CEREBO-NIRS technology). Study Design: Prospective, Multicenter, Validation and Feasibility Study. PHASE II: Pilot RCT to assess integration of the PREDICT assessment model into pre-hospital pathways. Study Design: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) (Year 3-5)

BEAT ICH will be a pragmatic, randomised, placebo-controlled, blinded, superiority clinical trial aiming to recruit 5676 patients aged ≥18 years who survive ICH and assign them 1:1 to starting antiplatelet monotherapy (Aspirin 75 mg od) versus placebo for the entire duration of the trial for preventing MACE. Recruitment duration is for 2.5 years. The duration of the medication and follow-up will vary based on recruitment timeline. If recruited during the first year of the trial, the patient will take the medication for three years or until the trial ends or an event occurs, with a matching follow-up period. If recruited towards the end of the trial, he/she will take the medication for six months and be followed up for the same duration. The trial's follow-up duration is three years. The patients will be recruited for 2.5 years, and the last recruit will have a minimum follow-up of six months. No new patients will be recruited within the last six months of the trial, but all the patients will be followed up until the end of the trial.

This assessor-blinded, randomized, parallel-group feasibility trial will evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a home-based Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) system for lower-limb rehabilitation in adults recovering from stroke. The study will be conducted at two sites within the INSTRUCT Network in India. Adults aged 18 years or older who are 1 month to 1 year post-stroke and have mild to moderate lower-limb weakness will be eligible to participate. A total of 70 participants will be randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to either a home-based FES intervention group or a control group receiving standard rehabilitation. Participants in the FES group will receive training on safe and independent use of the FES device before commencing home treatment. FES will be delivered to selected lower-limb muscles, including the quadriceps, tibialis anterior, and hamstrings, for 30 minutes per session, 5 sessions per week, for 12 weeks. The intervention will be supported by a smartphone-based telerehabilitation platform that will provide remote clinician support, training, adherence monitoring, and troubleshooting. The FES system is being developed with IoT-enabled monitoring and ECG-based heart-rate safety monitoring to facilitate safe home use. Participants in the control group will receive standard outpatient care and home-based rehabilitation without FES. Both groups will receive equivalent remote clinician contact and education. The primary purpose of the study is to determine the feasibility of home-based FES, including recruitment, retention, adherence to prescribed treatment sessions, safety, and participants' ability to independently operate the device at home. Secondary evaluation will assess preliminary changes in functional walking ability using the 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), measured at baseline and after 12 weeks. The study is intended to generate feasibility and preliminary effectiveness data to inform the design of a future, adequately powered randomized controlled trial and to assess the potential for wider implementation of home-based FES rehabilitation for people recovering from stroke.

This multicenter, pragmatic randomized, open-label clinical trial aims to assess whether Tranexamic Acid improves outcomes in adult patients with spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage. The participants presenting within 4.5 hours of the onset of symptoms of stroke with intracerebral haemorrhage confirmed on Computed Tomography (CT Scan) will be randomized into two groups in a 1:1 ratio using a central online randomization. The treatment arm will consist of giving intravenously 2 grams of Tranexamic Acid in 100 ml 0.9% sodium chloride administered over 45 minutes. Control arm patients will receive standard of care treatment as per the institutional protocol. In both arms, intensive systolic blood pressure reduction to less than 140 mmHg will be done using antihypertensive medications, which has to be achieved within one hour and will be maintained over next seven days. The choice of antihypertensive drug will depend on the clinician's preference. Both groups will have a repeat CT scan after 24 hours to check for any increase in the haematoma volume. Any deterioration in the neurological status will warrant urgent brain imaging. On day 7, the patient will be assessed for their NIHSS score and mRS score. On day 90, quality of life and the functional outcome will be assessed.