Drs. Louis Kim and Michael Levitt, vascular neurosurgeons at UW School of Medicine, are both NIH-funded principal investigators in cerebrovascular research. Although very much a part of the academic establishment, they realized that traditional grant funding sources favor small, incremental gains over “home-run” ideas that can change the way we treat stroke. To overcome this inherent problem, they recently established the UW Medicine SANS Center, whose audacious goal is to find a cure for stroke. In order to achieve this, the SANS’ guiding principle is that “innovation lies at the intersection of disparate disciplines.” SANS is an expert team of geneticists, molecular biologists, mechanical engineers, clinicians, philanthropists, former patients and their families who are passionate about the disruptive technologies that will eradicate stroke forever. The Center actively investigates the fundamental challenges of stroke, cerebrovascular disease, and other neurological disorders through multidisciplinary research, education, and outreach.