Work

Beyond Scar Removal: Reprogramming the Glial Scar for Neural Repair

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Spinal cord injury (SCI) research has long treated the glial scar as the central obstacle to regeneration. That view is useful, but it is now too narrow. The scar is not a passive wall. It is an evolving repair tissue that contains inflammation, stabilizes the lesion, remodels extracellular matrix, and, under many conditions, restricts axonal growth. The next phase of SCI therapy should therefore move from scar suppression to scar reprogramming. In this Opinion, I argue that the field should prioritize temporally precise, spatially targeted, and biomarker-guided interventions that preserve the protective functions of the scar while reducing its chronic inhibitory features. Cell transplantation, biomaterials, neurotrophic factors, gene therapy, immunomodulation, and neuromodulation each offer important strengths, but none is sufficient as a stand-alone regenerative therapy. The most credible path forward is a staged combinatorial strategy that converts the lesion microenvironment into a permissive, instructive, and trainable tissue bridge.

Source: International Journal of Molecular Sciences

DOI: 10.3390/ijms27177553

Author: Chih-Wei Zeng

Institution: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Language: English

Topic: Spinal Cord Injury Research

Subfield: Pathology and Forensic Medicine

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,499