Protocol to differentiate monolayer human induced pluripotent stem cells into inflammatory responsive astrocytes

Summary: Glia, and in particular astrocytes, are one of the major players in neurological and neuroinflammatory disorders. Here, we present a protocol to efficiently generate inflammatory responsive astrocytes from human induced pluripotent stem cells in a monolayer culture. We describe steps for neural differentiation to reach a homogeneous population of neural progenitor cells, followed by their differentiation into neural/glial progenitors. Finally, we detail enrichment to a 90% pure inflammatory responsive astrocyte population.For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Giordano et al.1 : Publisher’s note: Undertaking any experimental protocol requires adherence to local institutional guidelines for laboratory safety and ethics.