Researchers from the DQBM Polymenidou Lab contributed to a study in Glia introducing a direct method to differentiate human induced pluripotent stem cells into functional astrocytes within five weeks. The protocol avoids ectopic gene expression and an intermediate neural progenitor stage.
Validated with more than 60 iPSC lines across 10 laboratories, the method produced consistent astrocytes that supported neuronal differentiation, synapse formation and functional network development in co-culture. The approach provides a reproducible platform for investigating cell-specific mechanisms in human neurological disease models.
Publication: https://doi.org/10.1002/glia.70202