Development of an Efficient and Accessible Astrocyte Differentiation Protocol from MSCs

Astrocytes are essential glial cells that support neuronal function, regulate neurotransmission, maintain the blood-brain barrier, and contribute to overall brain homeostasis. Dysfunctions in astrocytes have been implicated in various neurological disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases and brain tumors, highlighting the need for reliable astrocyte models for research and therapeutic development. However, the limited availability of primary human astrocytes poses a significant challenge.
This project aims to develop an efficient and cost-effective differentiation protocol to generate astrocytes from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from bone marrow. MSCs will be differentiated into astrocytes under different culture conditions with a stepwise differentiation method. The most effective differentiation protocol will be evaluated by molecular techniques. The optimized protocol could facilitate research on neurological diseases and contribute to the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.