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From Dish to Brain: Researchers Chart Human Glial Cell Maturation

Thursday, May 28, 2026

A new study published in Nature Communications shows that human glial progenitor cells are a promising and safe cell product for transplantation. The research also defines the transcriptional and epigenetic signatures of these cells as they mature into astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, two essential support cell types in the brain.

“We believe that glia are particularly divergent compared to other species,” said lead study author John Mariani, PhD, a neuroscientist with University of Rochester Medicine and the first author of the new paper. “For this study, we grow these cells in vitro, and then we transplant them. We wanted to know what they look like before we transplant them and what they look like after. This sets the stage for long-term manipulation of these cells to engraft better, to respond better to the cues, and understand this process better, since it is an approach we are pursuing for cell therapies.”

This transplantation model may have implications for disorders such as multiple sclerosis, leukodystrophies, and Huntington’s disease, in which myelination, the insulating process that helps nerve cells communicate efficiently, is disrupted.