28 October 2025
News
As World Stroke Day approaches (October 29) and the Cour des Comptes prepares to publish a report on stroke care in France, the StrokeLink clinical research network—an F-CRIN-accredited organization—and Prof. Sébastien Richard, a member of the network and head of the neurology department at the Nancy University Hospital (CHRU), are highlighting the urgent need to strengthen clinical research in 2025 and 2026. The goal: to ensure rapid access to specialized care for all patients and to better understand recovery mechanisms to prevent recurrent strokes.
As the Cour des comptes prepares to publish its report on stroke care in France, the experts from the StrokeLink network emphasize the importance of a comprehensive care pathway—from emergency diagnosis to rehabilitation—and of strong clinical research to drive medical progress and improve patient outcomes. Among them is Prof. Sébastien Richard, a member of the network and head of the neurology department at the Nancy University Hospital, who is also the institution’s vice president for research, discusses the major challenges facing stroke care in 2025 and the central role played by French research.
Two Crucial Steps to Save Lives
Each year, nearly 150,000 people suffer a stroke in France, which remains the leading cause of acquired disability in adults and represents a major public health challenge. But strokes do not only affect the elderly; they can occur at any age and even affect approximately 1,000 children each year in the country. The success of the care pathway depends on two essential steps: cerebral reperfusion for ischemic strokes, which aims to restore blood flow to the brain through intravenous thrombolysis, and in some cases, thrombectomy (a neuroradiological procedure performed in specialized sites), followed by hospitalization in a stroke unit. In these units, medical and paramedical teams specifically trained in stroke care provide monitoring, prevention, and early rehabilitation for patients, a key factor for their survival and functional recovery.
"Admission to a stroke unit doubles the chances of recovery. We must therefore ensure that all patients have rapid access to these facilities," emphasizes Prof. Sébastien Richard.
French Clinical Research on the Rise
At the same time, clinical research on stroke is experiencing an exceptional surge in activity. Over the past 20 years, there have been significant advances: the validation of thrombolysis in the 2000s, the widespread adoption of mechanical thrombectomy beginning in 2015, and a surge in clinical trials aimed at further improving outcomes. Today, about one in two patients regains full independence after reperfusion therapy. The goal for the coming years is clear: to further increase this recovery rate. This momentum is driven in particular by the work conducted within the StrokeLink network, focusing on two major areas of research:
- Improving the success of cerebral reperfusion: Teams are seeking to refine intravenous thrombolysis techniques by testing new agents or combinations of antithrombotic drugs, as well as thrombectomy techniques using aspiration or “retriever ” devices. New combined approaches also make it possible to target more precise areas of the brain. Intra-arterial thrombolysis, in particular, offers promising prospects for clearing more distal vessels.
- Strengthening secondary prevention: reducing the risk of recurrence is a priority. This involves standard lifestyle and dietary measures (smoking cessation, diet, physical activity), as well as new drugs and therapeutic combinations, in addition to standard-of-care treatments (antiplatelet agents, anticoagulants, statins, blood pressure control, etc.). Several multisite studies are currently underway: Oceanic Stroke (Bayer) on a new anticoagulant in combination with existing treatments; RIISC (APHP) is evaluating colchicine, a well-known anti-inflammatory; SIMCA (Nancy University Hospital) and EVA3S-2 (St. Anne’s Hospital) aim to redefine the management of carotid stenosis; and A3ICH (Lille University Hospital), dedicated to the critical issue of treatment strategies for patients presenting with both cardiac arrhythmias and cerebral hemorrhage. These studies, jointly conducted by university hospitals and industry sponsors, with support from the StrokeLink network, involves several thousand patients spread across about thirty stroke units throughout the country.
StrokeLink, a national network to connect sites and accelerate discoveries
Created to organize clinical research on stroke, the StrokeLink network plays a vital role in disseminating studies, pooling resources, and engaging hospital teams. "Thanks to the network, trials are being conducted at a growing number of sites. This allows us to obtain reliable results more quickly—results that can be directly applied to medical practice," notes Prof. Richard.
This collective effort, combined with patient involvement in shaping research questions, promotes regional equity by enabling more teams and patients to participate in research. Each participant thus contributes to a better understanding of diseases and helps accelerate the availability of new treatments.
A Clear Message for World Stroke Day
For Professor Richard, in a context where the deterioration of the healthcare system is often discussed, the example of stroke proves that French clinical research works: it saves lives, improves care pathways, and reduces disability. His message for World Stroke Day is directed at both public authorities and patients: "Stroke is a medical success story: in 20 years, care has completely changed, the prognosis has improved, and research continues to open up new possibilities. But if we can provide such effective care today, it is because patients have agreed to participate in studies. Research complements patient care. We must maintain this collective, multidisciplinary momentum, continue to invest in clinical research, and involve patients, as this is the only way to further improve prognosis and treatments.”
If a loved one shows symptoms of a stroke, Professor Richard emphasizes the importance of acting quickly (call 15 immediately, the free emergency medical helpline number for France, without delay), to trust the medical teams, and to consider participating in clinical trials to contribute to these advances while benefiting from enhanced and safe follow-up care.
The StrokeLink network, coordinated by Professors Charlotte CORDONNIER (Lille University Hospital) and Jean-Marc OLIVOT (Toulouse University Hospital), is the national clinical research network specializing in stroke. Currently comprising about 50 sites in France, StrokeLink brings together university research units linked to hospital departments in the fields of neurology, interventional and diagnostic neuroradiology, vascular neurosurgery, vascular biology, neuroanesthesia, post-stroke rehabilitation, and emergency medicine. This multidisciplinary network provides the infrastructure necessary to successfully conduct and coordinate both industry-sponsored and academic clinical trials.
For more information: https://strokelink-avc.fr/en
Established in 2012, F-CRIN (French Clinical Research Infrastructure Network) is a national platform dedicated to advancing clinical research in France. It is led by Inserm in partnership with hospitals, healthcare companies, and universities, and supported by the National Research Agency and the Ministry of Health as part of the “France Santé 2030” initiative. Its mission is to bring together clinical research stakeholders to strengthen the competitiveness and international appeal of French research, develop professionals’ expertise by pooling know-how, resources, and capabilities, and thereby accelerate the adoption of new practices and the development of new therapeutic solutions. Today, F-CRIN is based on a federative model structured around 28 components: 26 thematic networks for research and clinical investigation, a multi-service platform available to sponsors and investigators to support their trials, and a national coordination unit—the infrastructure’s headquarters—located in Toulouse. With more than 2,000 professionals pooling their expertise and resources, F-CRIN also serves as the French interface for the European clinical research network ECRIN, promoting the participation of French teams and sites in multinational clinical trials.
For more information: https://www.fcrin.org
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