Dave Poulsen, PhD, research associate professor, and his employer, the University of Montana in Missoula, hope to make a lot of money on meth. You read that right. Poulsen’s methamphetamine application, co-developed with Nick Chandler, MD, a former Missoula neurosurgeon, could generate millions in royalty payments for the university while extending and improving the quality of life for stroke victims and those who suffer traumatic brain injuries. Pharmaceutical-grade meth — not the kind cooked up from household cleaning products by addicts or street dealers — is a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved drug that has been used for decades to treat ailments such as narcolepsy, attention deficit disorder, and obesity. Poulsen, who is licensed to use the compound for research, discovered the meth is something of a miracle drug for rats that have suffered strokes, effectively protecting brain cells from dying off and returning the animals to near-normal function. Poulsen believes the same could be true for humans, and FDA-approved human clinical trials based on his findings begin early next year. Poulsen is so confident about his research that “if I ever had a stroke or traumatic brain injury, I’d want to be treated with this stuff,” he says.
Source: MATR News