LAUSR

Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)‐based models are powerful tools to study neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease. The differentiation of patient‐derived neurons and astrocytes allows investigation of the molecular mechanisms responsible for disease onset and development. In particular, these two cell types can be mono‐ or co‐cultured to study the influence of cell‐autonomous and non‐cell‐autonomous contributors to neurodegenerative diseases. We developed a streamlined procedure to produce high‐quality/high‐purity cultures of dopaminergic neurons and astrocytes that originate from the same population of midbrain floor‐plate progenitors. This unit describes differentiation, quality control, culture parameters, and troubleshooting tips to ensure the highest quality and reproducibility of research results. © 2019 The Authors.