STEM CELLS Translational Medicine | 2021
Microglial Suppression Assays for Cell Therapies
Abstract
4 Introduction Microglia, the primary resident immune cells in the brain, are activated in neurodegenerative diseases. Activated microglia release pro-inflammatory cytokines that can further damage the central nervous system. Due to their immunomodulatory/ immunosuppressive properties, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are being widely tested as a cellular therapy for neuroinflammatory conditions. However, due to the unique characteristics of each MSC line, it is important to establish robust assays to demonstrate potency of each lot manufactured for clinical use. Objective We set out to establish robust and reliable methods to evaluate the immunosuppressive capacity of human umbilical cord tissue-derived MSC lines. Using Immortalized MicroGlial Cell Line (IMG), we developed a simple and reliable assay to determine MSC effectiveness in suppressing microglial activation.