17,18 In addition to the currently approved acute stroke therapy of intravenous t-PA, other potential therapies include intra-arterial thrombolysis, mechanical clot removal (Mechanical Embolus Removal in Cerebral Ischemia [MERCI] Retriever; Concentric Medical, Inc, Mountain View, California), and other clot-busting and neuroprotective medications under development. This evidence concerns the gene PLAT and brain ischemia.