A neurosurgeon at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine has been awarded a $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study innovative approaches to treating cerebral aneurysms.

“Our laboratory will be taking a close look at the cellular and genetic factors that lead to life-threatening aneurysms,” said Robert M. Starke, M.D., professor of neurological surgery and neuroradiology, co-director of endovascular neurosurgery at UM/Jackson Memorial Hospital, and director of neurovascular research. “We will also use innovative endovascular imaging techniques to examine aneurysms from inside the blood vessels.”

Dr. Starke was one of 20 neurosurgeons in the U.S. to receive a five-year NIH grant. His grant focuses on finding better ways to prevent or treat cerebral aneurysms, which occur in 2 to 3 percent of the population, but may exceed 19 percent in high-risk groups. A ruptured aneurysm produces a devastating form of stroke with high rates of mortality and morbidity.

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Written by Richard Westlund