Stroke remains one of the major causes of death and long-term disability worldwide. Currently, the only approved therapy for the acute treatment of this disease is thrombolysis, a strategy that can only be applied to a small percentage of patients due to its narrow therapeutic window. Unfortunately, during the last years numerous promising drugs that showed neuroprotection in the experimental setting failed to translate into the clinic because of their toxicity or lack of efficacy.

Researchers in the field now face the crucial need to develop effective stroke therapies and successfully...