Enhanced xeno-free differentiation of hiPSC-derived astroglia applied in a blood–brain barrier model

This study shows that astroglia cells differentiated on Biolaminin 521 display an improved phenotype compared to a mouse EHS-extracted laminin L2020 product. Especially, cells differentiated on Biolaminin 521 had a higher secretion of factors important for BBB formation, such as GFAP, S100B, and Angiopoietin-1, than cells differentiated on the laminin extract. In addition, glutamate uptake and the ability to induce the expression of junction proteins in endothelial cells were affected by the culture matrix choice. The study showed differentiation of functional astroglia from three different human induced pluripotent stem cell lines which were used in a blood-brain barrier model.