Microglia are crucial mediators of brain development and homeostasis. In recent years, it has been additionally suggested that modulation of microglial function may prove to be a useful therapeutic technique in many neurological contexts. However, before we can develop therapeutics, we need to better understand homeostatic microglial processes at the cellular and molecular level. For this reason, it has become crucial to develop better models to study human microglia which are known to be quite distinct from murine models. Here we provide a detailed method to differentiate homeostatic microglia from human pluripotent cells. Additionally, due to the innate sensitivity of these immune cells, we have provided detailed notes for best practices of handling cultured microglia.
Keywords: Differentiation; Glia; Microglia; Myeloid; Neuroimmune; iMGLs; iPS-microglia.
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