As tPA activates MMP-9 and exacerbates hemorrhagic transformation after cerebral ischemia (Sumii and Lo, 2002; Lo, 2008), we hypothesized that the use of SB-3CT in combination with tPA could mitigate neurotoxicity and extend the time window for treatment by tPA in a physiologically relevant model of AIS in mice. This evidence concerns the gene MMP9 and brain ischemia.