Researchers from the SPAN program in the United States have tested six experimental treatments aimed at improving the management of stroke, with uric acid showing promising results. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in France, with about 150,000 cases each year, and 60% of patients suffering from long-term neurological effects. A study led by Dr. Enrique Leira and Dr. Anil Chauhan from the University of Iowa, supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), examined the impact of uric acid on rodents that had experienced acute ischemic strokes. The researchers administered either the treatment or a placebo intravenously and observed the animals' recovery for a month using neurological assessments and MRI scans. The findings, published in the journal Stroke, indicate that mice treated with uric acid showed better recovery of sensory and motor functions 30 days after the stroke, and a higher survival rate compared to the control group. The study tested uric acid on a variety of mice and rats, including young and old animals, as well as those with obesity or hypertension. This suggests that the treatment could be effective even in individuals with multiple health conditions. However, while uric acid improved neurological function, it did not significantly reduce the size of brain lesions, which were measured using MRI scans. The study is part of the Preclinical Stroke Evaluation Network (SPAN), a research method that allows for the simultaneous evaluation of multiple therapies and the quick elimination of those that show insufficient effectiveness. In the SPAN program, six experimental treatments were tested using strict scientific protocols, including randomization, blind analysis, and the use of animal models that closely mimic human stroke patients. The effectiveness of each treatment was assessed through behavioral tests and by analyzing the volume of brain lesions with MRI. An innovative statistical method was used to analyze the data at four different stages of the testing. Among the six therapies, only uric acid showed consistent effectiveness throughout the entire protocol. The other treatments—four drugs already approved for other conditions and a technique called remote ischemic conditioning—were ruled out after intermediate analyses. These results suggest that uric acid could be a useful supplementary treatment to enhance recovery after acute ischemic stroke. However, further studies on animal models are needed before moving on to human clinical trials. Researchers hope that these findings will pave the way for new treatment options that can improve outcomes for stroke patients.