By Emily Ayshford
Strokes and genetic conditions that cause brain bleeds are among the leading causes of disability and death worldwide.
By the time University of Chicago neurosurgeon Issam Awad sees these patients, their brains have already been damaged. That’s why he has made it a mission to understand the causes and mechanisms behind this bleeding—to predict and avert these bleeds before they happen.
Using specialized MRIs and tests that provide precise measurements of molecules in the blood, his lab has transformed our knowledge of these conditions.
He and his team can now use biomarkers in the blood to predict brain bleeds while also testing new therapies to both prevent and treat bleeding.
To learn more, we spoke to Awad, who is the John Harper Seeley Professor of Neurological Sciences and Neurological Surgery at UChicago, along with two graduate students who conduct research in his lab: Abhinav Srinath, an MD/Ph.D student (CON), and Aditya Jhaveri, an MD student.