Michael V. Sofroniew, MD, PhD

New Capabilities

Continuing astrocyte research

For decades, doctors told paralyzed patients that severed spinal cords cannot heal. That dogma is crumbling. Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center have identified a previously unknown repair system in the spinal cord: support cells called astrocytes, located far from the injury site, release a protein signal that reprograms immune cells to clear debris and enable recovery. The findings, published in Nature in February 2026, open therapeutic pathways for treating paralysis, stroke, and multiple sclerosis.

Updated Feb 13