Abstract DP170: A High Throughput Analysis Of The Sexually Dimorphic Peripheral Immune Response To Acute Ischemic Stroke

Introduction: Acute ischemic stroke triggers a profound local and systemic immune response that can drive secondary brain injury, post-stroke cognitive decline, susceptibility to infections, and morbidity. The peripheral immune response to stroke may provide both biomarkers for predicting clinical trajectories, and targets for modulation to improve outcomes. While animal studies exist, granular data at the immune subpopulation level from human samples across sex is sparse. We sought to investigate this using high throughput mass cytometry. Methods: We used frozen PBMC samples from male and female patients with acute ischemic stroke (collected 72 hrs from ictus) and age- and sex-matched controls stored in our biobank. Patient MRIs were reviewed to verify the presence of an acute infarct. Patients with prior strokes were excluded. Cells were Fc blocked, barcoded and stained with metal conjugated antibodies for mass cytometry. Data was acquired on a Helios mass cytometer and gated to identify cellular populations. Differences in the immunological profile between controls and stroke patients, stratified by sex and discharge outcome, were analyzed by Wilcoxon tests on R, with p