Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of Florida Division of Sponsored Research received a $611,097 Project Grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders program (CFDA 93.853), effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2031. This award funds the Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Translational Advanced Research Pre-Trial (START) Network, a multi-site initiative designed to conduct rigorous preclinical testing of promising drug candidates for subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), a devastating cerebrovascular event with a 35–46% case-fatality rate and significant long-term neurological morbidity in survivors.

The START Network will establish a three-site research network to perform late-stage, multi-site, blinded, randomized animal trials designed to closely resemble Phase 3 human clinical trials. This approach addresses the documented disconnect between promising preclinical animal studies and failed human clinical trials by implementing clinically relevant drug administration timelines, rigorous study design, and standardized outcome measurement. The initial drug candidates under evaluation are tocilizumab (a monoclonal antibody targeting the interleukin-6 receptor, already FDA-approved for other conditions) and resveratrol (a sirtuin 1 agonist available as a dietary supplement), both of which demonstrated meaningful improvements in neurobehavioral outcomes and vasospasm reduction in mouse SAH models. The project deliverables include comprehensive preclinical efficacy and safety data to inform whether these agents warrant advancement to human clinical trials.