Abstract We propose a novel, adaptive, secured system for parallel testing of promising interventions designed to improve outcome compared to reperfusion alone with thrombolysis, thrombectomy or both. The applicant PI and collaborators together have decades of experience using preclinical animal stroke models. Also, and perhaps uniquely, the applicant PI and collaborators have led clinical trial coordinating centers for large and small multi‐center and single center Phase 1, 2, and 3 clinical trials on behalf of the Federal Government and various industry partners. Thus, by combining decades of experience and expertise in animal modeling with clinical trial management this application affords NINDS an opportunity to significantly enhance the likelihood that SPAN will guide the selection of the best agent(s) to transition to future clinical trials likely to be conducted through StrokeNet. The applicant PI and collaborators are aware of, and have participated in, many reviews and symposia detailing the significant failures of previous preclinical stroke development. 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 plethora of clinical failures has cost industry and governments hundreds of millions of dollars and wasted the time, talent, and effort of hundreds of investigators and coordinators. The recent successful development of thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke generated considerable enthusiasm for re‐testing compounds in combination with thrombectomy. Thus, SPAN is intended to screen and select highly promising candidate treatments for possible study in StrokeNet. A success in SPAN will provide a significant impetus to renew efforts toward successful clinical deployment of novel, promising neuroprotectants. In the past 5 years, two significant developments raise new hope for neuroprotection: the appearance of compounds with multiple mechanisms of action, and the promulgation of new standards for the rigorous preclinical development of stroke treatment candidates. The SPAN effort affords the highly significant opportunity to find a promising candidate treatment, test it in StrokeNet, and then back‐validate the ideal preclinical testing paradigm that predicts success in clinical trials. This present application, if funded, will achieve significant improvement and advancement of preclinical development by implementing critical technical innovations. The state‐of‐the‐art technical solution offered by our collaborator, the Laboratory of Neuroimaging (LONI) is secure, robust, reliable, and ready to implement immediately because Drs. Lyden and Toga collaborated during RHAPSODY to provide sites a turn‐key solution for uploading images (www.LONI.usc.edu). We also propose the highly novel use of distributed, masked evaluation. This novel approach allows for a secure, blinded, cost efficient, with built in central qual...