Mikko Airavaara was interviewed due to their recent research results that promoting the activity of specific immune-response components during later phase in stroke recovery can help in stroke recovery. Airavaara’s groups latest findings in Science Advances at the Institute of Biotechnology suggest that increasing the number of phagocytic cells after stroke may aid tissue recovery after stroke. Airavaara and his team injected MANF post-stroke to the peri-infarct region in rats. They found that the animals exhibited improvements in behavior, that was related to an increase in the expression of specific genes in immune cells. Results suggest that “cellular cleanup crew” can hasten repair in the peri-infarct area.