Despite a plethora of preclinical evaluations of putative neuroprotective agents, the translation from bench to beside has failed to produce successful treatment strategies. However, acute stroke therapy has now entered the era of highly effective reperfusion, with mechanical thrombectomy and intravenous thrombolysis representing the new standard of care. Ángel Chamorro, MD, PhD, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona & University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain, talks on how this advancement will aid the development of neuroprotective agents. Successful reperfusion may allow drugs to reach the brain when they could not before. Prof. Chamorro believes that there is a great future for neuroprotection, and both novel drugs and previously investigated drugs should be studied in this new reperfusion era. This interview took place at the European Stroke Organisation Conference (ESOC), 2021.