title: Human stem cell-derived astrocytes and their application to studying Nrf2-mediated neuroprotective pathways and therapeutics in neurodegeneration.
abstract: Glia, including astrocytes, are increasingly at the forefront of neurodegenerative research for their role in the modulation of neuronal function and survival. Improved understanding of underlying disease mechanisms, including the role of the cellular environment in neurodegeneration, is central to therapeutic development for these currently untreatable diseases. In these endeavours, experimental models that more closely reproduce the human condition have the potential to facilitate the transition between experimental studies in model organisms and patient trials. In this review we discuss the growing role of astrocytes in neurodegenerative diseases, and how astrocytes generated from human pluripotent stem cells represent a useful tool for analyzing astrocytic signalling and influence on neuronal function.
authors.affiliation: Anne McLaren Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine & Cambridge Centre for Brain Repair, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, UK.
authors.forename: Kunal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Siddharthan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chandran
authors.forename: Giles E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Hardingham
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D051267:NF-E2-Related Factor 2 / Q000502:physiology*; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000628:therapy*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D051267:NF-E2-Related Factor 2; C495635:NFE2L2 protein, human; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents