Although ischemic stroke is one of the leading causes of death, researchers have failed to translate the success of preclinical studies into novel drugs for treating stroke patients. Some of the main reasons behind this failure to produce clinically relevant therapies include poor animal models, the failure to address the post-stroke immune response, insufficient transportation of drugs across the blood-brain barrier, and the failure to address white matter damage after stroke. Expert researchers will address each of these "problem areas" and provide solutions for future preclinical studies.