About us

HATCH – Haemoglobin After inTraCranial Haemorrhage - consortium

The HATCH Consortium was formed in 2017, bringing together investigators interested in genetics and clinical outcome after subarachnoid haemorrhage. It has representation from Europe, the Americas and Asia. The multidisciplinary background of its members encompasses basic neuroscience, genetics, bioinformatics, neurosurgery, neurology, neuro-intensive care, nursing, and medical statistics. It is supported by a number of public and patient representatives.

On 9th June 2017, the first consortium meeting was held in Winchester, UK. The aim was to arrive at an international consensus regarding priorities for future research into the effects of haemoglobin after intracranial haemorrhage. These are summarized below.

1. Prospective genetic association studies. To study the association between clinical outcome in haemorrhagic brain diseases and variation in genes coding for proteins involved in blood product clearance, protection from oxidative stress and inflammation.
2. Development of robust tools to measure clinical outcomes in haemorrhagic brain disease, with an emphasis on how to capture cognitive deficits in the majority of patients who have favourable outcomes on modified Rankin Scale and Glasgow Outcome Score.
3. Development of a rapid, point-of-care test for haptoglobin phenotyping, to guide prognosis and stratify randomisation in clinical trials of intracranial haemorrhage.
4. An improved basic scientific understanding of the mechanism of haemoglobin toxicity and its clearance in the brain, including more robust preclinical models of haemorrhagic brain disease and validation of these models across multiple laboratories.