Stroke Preclinical Assessment Network
What is SPAN? The Stroke Pre-Clinical Assessment Network (SPAN) seeks to conduct late-stage preclinical studies of putative neuroprotectants combined with reperfusion. SPAN utilizes a novel, adaptive, secured system for parallel testing of promising interventions designed to extend the treatment time window and/or improve outcome compared to reperfusion when combined with thrombolysis, thrombectomy or both.
Why SPAN? SPAN was established to address a significant need in the scientific investigation of stroke treatment. In the past, a plethora of putative neuroprotectants proceeded to clinical trial based on favorable preclinical assessment, only to fail in subsequent clinical trials of human stroke patients. The recent successful development of thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke generated considerable enthusiasm for re-testing treatment candidates in combination with thrombectomy. Thus, SPAN is intended to screen and select highly promising treatment candidates for possible further study in human clinical trials.
