Neuroscience Institute Research and Clinical Trials

Saint Luke’s Marion Bloch Neuroscience Institute features a strong clinical research program to ensure our patients have access to the most innovative and effective treatments. 

Leader in stroke research

Since testing intravenous tPA, the clot-busting drug used to reverse strokes, in the early 1990s, the Saint Luke’s stroke team has been involved in every major stroke intervention research trial. Early participation in trials testing mechanical devices to retrieve clots, led to our extensive experience in clot retrieval and made us leaders in acute stroke treatment.

National Institute of Health StrokeNet

National Institute of Health StrokeNet is consists of 25 regional coordinating centers across the U.S., a national coordinating center at the University of Cincinnati, and a national data management center at the Medical University of South Carolina. The primary goal of this StrokeNet is to maximize efficiencies to develop, promote, and conduct high-quality, multi-site clinical trials focused on key interventions in stroke prevention, treatment, and recovery. 

Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City is a part of the Mid-America Regional Coordinating Center (MARCC) housed at Washington University School of Medicine. Four high-volume stroke centers participate in MARCC including Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis University Hospital, Saint Luke’s Hospital, and the Order of St. Francis Medical Center. Each of these medical centers is a tertiary care hub with large networks of referring hospitals, and have extensive experience participating in multi-center stroke trials. Drawing from both rural and urban settings, MARCC hospitals admit almost 5,000 stroke patients per year, from diverse geographic locales, racial backgrounds, and socioeconomic strata. Dr. Karin Olds is the Principal Investigator and Sophia Fike is the Research Coordinator for Saint Luke’s.