Microglia are the innate immune cells of the CNS and play important roles in synaptic plasticity, neurogenesis, homeostatic functions and immune activity. Microglia also play a critical role in neurological disorders, including AD, highlighting the need to improve our understanding of their function in both health and disease. Yet, studying human microglia is challenging because of the rarity and difficulty in acquiring primary cells from human fetal or adult CNS tissue. Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop a renewable source of human microglia, such as from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
