Acute Ischemic Stroke

Acute basilar artery occlusion is associated with high mortality and severe disability. Previous randomized trials have demonstrated the benefit of endovascular therapy in selected patients with basilar artery occlusion; however, patients with large ischemic core, commonly defined by low posterior circulation Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (pc-ASPECTS), remain underrepresented and the benefit-risk profile of endovascular therapy in this subgroup is uncertain. This prospective, multicenter, randomized, open-label, blinded-endpoint trial will evaluate the efficacy and safety of endovascular therapy plus best medical management compared with best medical management alone in patients with acute basilar artery occlusion within 24 hours from symptom onset or last known well and pc-ASPECTS \<7. Eligible participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive endovascular therapy plus best medical management or best medical management alone. The primary outcome is favorable functional outcome, defined as a modified Rankin Scale score of 0 to 3 at 90 days.

The goal of this clinical trials is to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness for the RapidPulseTM Aspiration System in patients experiencing acute ischemic stroke within 8 hours of symptom onset or last seen normal. Subjects will undergo mechanical thrombectomy (a procedure to remove a clot in the brain which is preventing blood flow), with the RapidPulseTM Aspiration System. Participation in the trial is for 90 days.

Ischemic cerebrovascular disease is a common neurological disorder with high incidence, mortality, and disability. Early reperfusion to salvage the ischemic penumbra is the cornerstone of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) treatment. Current reperfusion strategies include intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and endovascular therapy (EVT). Although alteplase is the first-line thrombolytic agent, its recanalization rate for large vessel occlusion (LVO) is only 10-20%, and for medium vessel occlusion (MeVO), approximately 50% of patients fail to achieve recanalization, leading to poor outcomes. Prourokinase has recently been shown to be non-inferior to alteplase with a better safety profile, and studies suggest that repeated thrombolysis may improve recanalization rates in patients without early clinical improvement after standard IVT. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of an additional intravenous infusion of prourokinase in AIS patients with confirmed medium or large vessel occlusion who show no significant clinical improvement at 1 hour after standard IVT (within 4.5 hours of symptom onset). Patients without early neurological improvement (e.g., \<2-point reduction in NIHSS) and persistent vessel occlusion on imaging will receive a second dose of prourokinase. The primary outcomes include 24-hour recanalization rate (by CTA/MRA), 90-day functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale), and safety endpoints (symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, mortality). The hypothesis is that additional prourokinase following standard IVT in non-improving patients with medium or large vessel occlusion will significantly increase recanalization rates and improve clinical outcomes without an unacceptable increase in symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage.

This is a multicenter, open-label, blinded-endpoint, randomized controlled trial comparing super large bore catheter aspiration versus stent retriever thrombectomy as the first-line technique for anterior circulation large vessel occlusion in acute ischemic stroke. Eligible patients with acute ischemic stroke due to internal carotid artery intracranial segment and/or middle cerebral artery M1 occlusion will be randomized 1:1 to receive either aspiration using a super large bore catheter (inner diameter ≥0.080 inch) or stent retriever thrombectomy (allowing balloon guiding catheters or intermediate catheters with inner diameter \<0.080 inch). The primary outcome is the ordinal modified Rankin Scale score at 90 days post-procedure. Key secondary outcomes include the proportion of patients with mRS 0-2 at 90 days, change in NIHSS at 24 hours and 7 days, and various angiographic and safety endpoints. The trial plans to enroll 708 patients across approximately 30 centers in China. The total study duration is 24-36 months, with each patient participating for 3 months.

This study is designed to better understand how patients with severe stroke move during their hospital stay. It will track their activity using a small wearable device (activPAL) along with standard mobility information already collected in clinical care. The goal is to learn what typical movement patterns look like early after a stroke and how well patients meet mobility goals while in the hospital. What is learned from this study may allow determination of how treatment for stroke patients may be improved to improve patient long-term mobility.

This interventional study evaluates the impact of early virtual rehabilitation, starting 24 hours post-diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke, on upper limb strength, cognitive status, and self-efficacy. The goal is to establish more effective rehabilitation protocols for acute ischemic stroke patients and to boost their motivation to participate in training.

Stroke remains a major global health burden, with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) accounting for more than 65% of all cases. Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) has been established as a standard treatment for large vessel occlusion (LVO) stroke; however, "futile recanalization" remains common, with many patients failing to achieve favorable functional outcomes despite successful vessel reperfusion. Increasing evidence indicates that neutrophils and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) play important roles in post-reperfusion inflammation, thrombosis, and microcirculatory dysfunction, which may contribute to thrombolysis resistance and poor prognosis. Neutrophil elastase (NE), a key component associated with NETs, may further aggravate vascular injury and thrombus formation. Sivelestat Sodium is a selective NE inhibitor that has demonstrated anti-inflammatory and organ-protective effects in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome and in experimental models of cerebral ischemia. It may help preserve blood-brain barrier integrity, reduce brain edema, and improve neurological outcomes. Based on these findings, this study is designed as a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of sivelestat sodium as an adjunct to EVT in patients with acute anterior circulation large-vessel occlusive stroke within 24 hours of onset. The results of this study are expected to provide further clinical evidence for anti-inflammatory adjunctive treatment strategies aimed at reducing futile recanalization and improving functional outcomes in AIS.

Stroke is a leading cause of global mortality and morbidity, with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) accounting for approximately 65.3% of cases and resulting in roughly 3.4 million new cases annually in China. While endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) is the recommended first-line therapy for large vessel occlusion (LVO), achieving 80-90% recanalization, fewer than 50% of patients reach functional independence (mRS 0-2) due to "futile recanalization" caused by mechanisms like no-reflow and reperfusion injury. Monosialotetrahexosylganglioside (GM1) is a unique glycosphingolipid that crosses the blood-brain barrier to provide neuroprotection by suppressing oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, and apoptosis while promoting neurogenesis. Although Phase III trials like the FOCUS study confirmed GM1's safety and efficacy in AIS populations, its benefit specifically for patients undergoing mechanical thrombectomy remains unkown. Therefore, the IAT-GIANT study is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of adjunctive GM1 in improving 90-day functional outcomes for AIS-LVO patients treated with EVT.

This study investigates whether direct transfer to an emergency stroke unit equipped with NeuAngio-CT reduces time to endovascular reperfusion in patients with acute ischemic stroke and suspected intracranial large-vessel occlusion.Those aged 18-60 years with acute ischemic stroke who are eligible for endovascular thrombectomy within 24 hours of symptom onset will be enrolled. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. In the intervention group, participants will undergo femoral or radial artery puncture, followed by intracranial and cervical CT angiography with intra-arterial contrast injection (iacCTA) performed using the sliding-rail NeuAngio-CT, and subsequent thrombectomy guided by fused CTA-DSA images. In the control group, participants will receive intracranial and cervical CT angiography with intra-venous contrast injection and the thrombectomy will guided by standard DSA imaging without use of the sliding-rail CT. The primary endpoint is puncture-to-successful-reperfusion time (PRT); if successful reperfusion is not achieved, the end-of-procedure time will be used.

Extensive research is being conducted in search of neuroprotective agents for possible use in the acute phase of stroke and agents that can be used for neurorepair in later stages of stroke. Several trials have been conducted and are in progress using different pharmacological agents, but none of the studies involve the stimulation of ETB receptors to treat cerebral ischemic stroke. Sovateltide (IRL-1620, PMZ-1620) has been effective in animal models of cerebral ischemic stroke. Its safety and tolerability have been demonstrated in a human phase I study with 7 subjects. Clinical phase II and III results indicate that sovateltide is a novel, first-in-class, highly effective drug candidate for treating cerebral ischemic stroke. Safety and significant efficacy in improving the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), Modified Rankin scale (mRS), and Barthel index (BI) obtained in phase II and III studies in patients with cerebral ischemic stroke in India are convincing and encouraged us to investigate its safety and efficacy in cerebral ischemic stroke patients in the United States. Therefore, the plan is to conduct a phase III clinical study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of sovateltide therapy along with standard of care in patients of acute ischemic stroke.

Stroke-associated pneumonia is a common and clinically important complication after acute ischemic stroke, especially in non-intubated patients with impaired consciousness and reduced cough or swallowing reflexes. Conventional oral or nasal suction may be insufficient for removing deep oropharyngeal secretions. This prospective randomized controlled trial will evaluate whether a patented oropharyngeal flushing suction tube combined with direct laryngoscopy reduces the 28-day incidence of stroke-associated pneumonia compared with laryngoscope-guided standard suction and conventional oral/nasal suction.

Post-Market Registry

The PEARL-SIMPLIFIED trial is a multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled, open-label, blinded-endpoint study. It aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravenous tenecteplase (TNK) in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) presenting in the extended 4.5-24 hour window, using a simplified imaging selection strategy based solely on non-contrast CT (NCCT).

A multi-center, prospective, randomized, open-label, adaptive group sequential designed, blinded endpoint assessment (PROBE) clinical trial of endovascular treatment among selected AIS

This study is open to adults who had an acute stroke caused by a clot blocking a blood vessel in the brain (acute ischemic stroke). This study is for people who had an acute stroke or woke up with a stroke and were last seen well more than 4.5 hours before joining the study. Participants need to have imaging that shows there is brain tissue that can still be saved. They also should not be planned to receive a procedure to remove the blood clot. The purpose of this study is to find out whether a medicine called tenecteplase helps people recover from an acute stroke. Tenecteplase is already used to treat people within 4.5 hours after they had a stroke. This study tests if tenecteplase also helps if it is given more than 4.5 hours after the stroke. Participants are put into 2 groups randomly, which means by chance. One group gets tenecteplase as a single injection into a vein. The other group receives standard medical practice. Participants have an equal chance of receiving tenecteplase or the standard treatment. Participants are in the study for about 3 months. In the beginning, participants stay in the hospital for about 1 week. During the study, participants have 7 clinical examinations or visits. The last 2 of these visits will likely be done from home, allowing participants to complete certain assessments remotely. Doctors regularly test participants' recovery using a scale that measures the level of disability or dependence in daily activities. The results are compared between the 2 groups to see whether the treatment works. The doctors also check participants' health and take note of any unwanted effects.

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tenecteplase (TNK) intravenous thrombolysis within the extended time window (4.5 to 24 hours) in patients with acute posterior circulation ischemic stroke.

This is a Phase I/IIa clinical trial evaluating human placental-derived 3D mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) injection in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Phase I is a single-dose escalation study to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended Phase II dose (RP2D). Phase IIa explores preliminary efficacy. Each participant undergoes screening (up to 72 hours before treatment), a single-day treatment period, and follow-up for up to 720 days (24 months).

The main goal of this study is to find out if a new, quick "brain rescue" procedure can help people recover better from a severe stroke caused by a large vessel occlusion. When someone has this type of stroke, doctors often perform a procedure called an endovascular thrombectomy (EVT). In EVT, they thread a thin tube through a blood vessel up to the brain to remove the clot and restore blood flow. This is a highly effective treatment. However, for some patients, suddenly restoring blood flow can cause additional, unexpected injury to the brain. This is called "reperfusion injury." This study tests a technique called rapid local ischemic postconditioning (RL-IPostC) that might prevent this extra damage. It's a very simple additional step performed immediately after the clot is successfully removed. The doctor would briefly inflate and deflate a tiny balloon inside the proximal brain artery after recanalization, creating very short, controlled "pauses" in blood flow. This is believed to give brain cells a gentler "wake-up" call, helping them tolerate the return of oxygen-rich blood. The study will test two different "doses" of this procedure (meaning different numbers of inflation/deflation cycles) against the standard care (no additional procedure). Phase IIb (the first part): Which dose of RL-IPostC (high or low) is more promising for reducing early brain swelling (measured by whether the brain's midline has shifted less than 3 mm on a 24-hour scan)? Phase III (the main part): Using the best dose from Phase IIb, does RL-IPostC improve a patient's functional recovery three months later, specifically enabling them to walk and manage daily activities without help? A total of 288 participants who have had a large-vessel occlusion stroke and successful clot removal will be enrolled. If early results look promising but not quite conclusive, the study can increase the total number of participants up to 448 to get a clearer answer. If successful, this study could identify a simple, low-cost add-on procedure to a standard stroke treatment that improves long-term recovery and quality of life for thousands of stroke patients. It's a potential new tool to protect the brain after blood flow is restored. This is a carefully designed study testing a gentle "on/off" blood flow technique right after clot removal, to see if it can reduce brain injury and help people walk and live more independently after a severe stroke.

This multicenter, cluster-randomized controlled trial will evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the LingBao System, an AI-enabled clinical decision support platform for reperfusion therapy in acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Twenty certified stroke centers will be randomized 1:1 to LingBao-assisted care or standard care. Consecutive patients aged 18 years or older who present within 24 hours of symptom onset or last-known-well and are evaluated for intravenous thrombolysis and/or endovascular therapy will be prospectively enrolled. The study initially plans to enroll approximately 3,000 patients from about 20 certified stroke centers, with approximately 150 patients per center. Because this is a cluster-randomized trial, a pre-specified blinded sample size re-estimation will be performed after approximately 40% of participants have completed the 90-day mRS assessment. The re-estimation will be based only on pooled, blinded information, including cluster size, cluster-size variability, intracluster correlation, follow-up completeness, missingness of the primary outcome, and the overall distribution of the 90-day mRS. No between-group treatment effect will be examined, and any sample size adjustment will only allow an increase in enrollment. At intervention sites, clinicians may use the LingBao System during their routine workflows. The platform integrates routinely available clinical and imaging data, automatically estimates onset-to-treatment windows, screens contraindications, and provides evidence-based, guideline-concordant recommendations for reperfusion therapy; all treatment decisions remain at physician discretion. The primary endpoint is the 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score analyzed by ordinal shift. Secondary endpoints include workflow metrics (door-to-needle time and door-to-puncture time), reperfusion treatment rates, early neurological improvement, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, and mortality. The findings will provide real-world evidence on the clinical value of AI-assisted decision support for reperfusion therapy in AIS and inform broader implementation of intelligent stroke management systems.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with serious complications, including embolic strokes, heart failure, and mortality. Disruption of normal blood flow in the atrium, particularly in the context of an endocardium predisposed to thrombosis, increases the risk of thrombus formation. Once dislodged from the atrial cavity and traveling to the cerebral arteries, these thrombi can cause a cardioembolic stroke. The main risk factors for atrial cardiomyopathy (ACM) and AF are metabolic syndrome and aging. ACM is a condition that is difficult to diagnose because it is not clearly defined, except through histological analysis. Guided by the results of our experimental approaches, the investigators aim to address this challenge by examining ACM through the lens of one of its complications: cardioembolic stroke. BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) is a neurotrophic factor involved in inflammatory and metabolic processes that may play a key role in the development of these complications. This study explores the association between circulating levels of BDNF and the morphological and metabolic characteristics of ACM, as assessed by cardiac and brain imaging studies

Study Methods: The trial consists of two phases, both including a placebo control. Phase Ia (single-dose, dose-escalation): Three dose groups (low, medium, high) are set. This is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-dose, dose-escalation trial. Dose escalation to the next level is permitted only after safety assessment at 28 days post-dose in the previous group. Phase Ib (multiple-dose): Based on Phase Ia results, two dose groups will be selected. The product is administered on Day 0, Day 7, and Day 14 (3 doses total). The trial remains randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled.

This study aims to evaluate whether, in patients with imaging-confirmed acute ischemic stroke of the posterior circulation presenting within 4.5-24 hours after symptom onset and not scheduled for endovascular thrombectomy, intravenous thrombolysis with recombinant human prourokinase (rhPro-UK), compared with standard medical treatment, can achieve superior 90-day functional outcomes with a higher level of safety.

The study will randomize patients with acute ischemic stroke and Direct Oral AntiCoagulants (DOAC) ingestion within 48 hours from enrollment (but otherwise eligible for thrombolysis) to administration of intravenous tenecteplase vs. placebo (1:1). Participants will be enrolled at NIH StrokeNet sites across the US and followed for 90-days. The primary aim is to determine the efficacy of intravenous tenecteplase (TNK) vs placebo among acute ischemic stroke patients and to determine the safety of TNK among acute ischemic stroke patients within 4.5 hours of last known well who used DOAC within 48 hours prior to thrombolysis. Efficacy and safety endpoints will be the focus of this proposed Phase III study.

A multicenter, randomized, open-label, blinded-endpoint trial with a concurrent prospective observational cohort to compare bailout intracranial angioplasty or stenting versus standard therapy on functional outcome, stroke recurrence, and mortality in patients with acute intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis-related large vessel occlusion after thrombectomy.

Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) improves outcomes in patients with acute large vessel occlusion (LVO). However, despite successful recanalization rates exceeding 80%, fewer than 50% of patients achieve favorable functional outcomes at 90 days, indicating a high rate of futile recanalization. Potential mechanisms include no-reflow, reperfusion injury, and microcirculatory dysfunction, which are closely associated with post-recanalization neuroinflammation. Minocycline is a second-generation tetracycline with pleiotropic neuroprotective effects, including inhibition of microglial activation, reduction of inflammatory mediators, suppression of matrix metalloproteinases, attenuation of oxidative stress, and preservation of blood-brain barrier integrity. Prior preclinical and clinical studies suggest that minocycline may improve neurological outcomes in acute ischemic stroke. This study is a multicenter, prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of adjunctive minocycline in patients with acute anterior circulation LVO who achieve successful recanalization after EVT. The trial will assess whether early administration of minocycline improves functional outcomes and reduces futile recanalization.