# Glycolic Acid-Guided Intelligent Neurovascular Imaging: A Cross-Scale Platform for Real-Time Neuroprotection and Adaptive Stroke Imaging

**Authors:** Krzysztof Malczewski, Ryszard Kozera, Zdzislaw Gajewski, Maria Sady

PMC · DOI: 10.3390/jcm15051851 · 2026-02-28

## TL;DR

A new platform combines smart imaging and targeted treatments to protect brain cells during stroke by using glycolic acid and micro-radioembolization.

## Contribution

The platform introduces a closed-loop theranostic system integrating topology-aware imaging, glycolic acid neuroprotection, and micro-dosimetric intervention.

## Key findings

- The imaging engine reduced acquisition time by nearly half while maintaining vascular topology accuracy.
- Glycolic acid decreased infarct volume by 38% in a porcine stroke model.
- Micro-dosimetry delivered a mean perivascular beta dose of 28 grays, increasing neuronal survival by 42%.

## Abstract

Introduction: Acute ischemic stroke demands interventions that restore perfusion and protect neurons within a narrow therapeutic window. We propose a unified theranostic platform that couples adaptive imaging, topology-aware decision-making, and immediate neuroprotective and micro-dosimetric intervention. Methods: The platform integrates three components. First, a topology-preserving MR–PET engine employs adaptive Poisson-disc sampling, partial Fourier constraints, and structured Hankel low-rank priors in a closed loop. Persistent-homology metrics quantify vascular graph uncertainty and guide subsequent k-space and PET projections, reducing acquisition time while preserving collateral topology. Second, immediate post-reperfusion delivery of glycolic acid attenuates glutamate-driven calcium influx and stabilizes mitochondrial function. Third, trace doses of sol–gel-derived, neutron-activated 90Y2O3 microspheres provide sharply confined beta irradiation for micro-scale metabolic modulation. Results: In a porcine stroke model replicating the human recanalization workflow, the imaging engine maintained vascular Betti-number invariants within three percent of fully sampled reference scans while reducing acquisition time by nearly half. Glycolic acid reduced glutamate-induced intracellular calcium rise by approximately sixty percent in vitro and decreased infarct volume by thirty-eight percent in vivo. Micro-dosimetry confirmed a mean perivascular beta dose of twenty-eight grays, and histology demonstrated a forty-two percent increase in NeuN-positive neuronal survival compared with standard recanalization. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that intelligent compressed-sensing MR–PET, targeted micro-radioembolization, and glycolic acid neuroprotection can act synergistically to bridge diagnostic imaging and immediate intervention. By coupling imaging, decision-making, and therapy in a closed-loop manner and elevating topological fidelity from a reconstruction byproduct to a control variable, the proposed platform reframes MR–PET from passive diagnostics into an active, decision-driven theranostic system and establishes a foundation for future human trials.

## Linked entities

- **Chemicals:** glycolic acid (PubChem CID 757), glutamate (PubChem CID 611)
- **Diseases:** stroke (MONDO:0005098)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** RBFOX3 (RNA binding fox-1 homolog 3) [NCBI Gene 146713] {aka FOX-3, FOX3, HRNBP3, NEUN}
- **Diseases:** infarct (MESH:D007238), Stroke (MESH:D020521), ischemic stroke (MESH:D002544)
- **Chemicals:** calcium (MESH:D002118), 90Y2O3 (-), glutamate (MESH:D018698), Glycolic Acid (MESH:C031149)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]

## Figures

5 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12985776/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12985776