Swedish medical device company Dignitana's subsidiary Brain Cool has announced that its medical brain cooling system is being tested in a Phase One clinical trial at the University of Edinburgh.
The Brain Cool system, which uses a patented cooling method, allows cooling of the neck and helps to speed perfusion and cooling of blood before it reaches the brain, a critical intervention for patients with stroke.
The Phase One study will be tested on healthy volunteers to measure efficacy of brain cooling rates.
Brain Cool said a reduction of body temperature to 35 °C induces a kind of hibernation status of the brain that may help protect the brain from stroke-induced damage.
Previous pilot studies also suggest that even a small reduction of the brain temperature, as little as 1°C, can be beneficial in treating stroke patients, reducing mortality rates as well as improving quality of life for stroke survivors.
In addition to the stroke, new patent applications have also been submitted in the US complementary to the existing patents of Dignitana, claims the company.
Brain Cool board chairman and Dignitana CEO Martin Waleij said, "We are opening the door to a new world of advanced healing that could improve quality of life for people with stroke, traumatic brain injury, cardiac arrest, and neonatal asphyxia."