CLLCell Transplantation1555-3892SAGE PublicationsSage CA: Los Angeles, CA10.1177/0963689722110549910.1177_09636897221105499Basic Research and Clinical Application of Cell Transplantation - Review (unsolicited)Therapeutic Potential of Astrocyte Transplantationhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-5376-339XHastingsNataly12KuanWei-Li1OsborneAndrew1KotterMark R. N.12Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UKWellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UKNataly Hastings, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK. Email: nh564@cam.ac.uk30620223109636897221105499271202210520222052022© The Author(s) 20222022SAGE Publications Inc, unless otherwise noted. Manuscript content on this site is licensed under Creative Commons Licenseshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

Cell transplantation is an attractive treatment strategy for a variety of brain disorders, as it promises to replenish lost functions and rejuvenate the brain. In particular, transplantation of astrocytes has come into light recently as a therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); moreover, grafting of astrocytes also showed positive results in models of other conditions ranging from neurodegenerative diseases of older age to traumatic injury and stroke. Despite clear differences in etiology, disorders such as ALS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Huntington’s diseases, as well as traumatic injury and stroke, converge on a number of underlying astrocytic abnormalities, which include inflammatory changes, mitochondrial damage, calcium signaling disturbance, hemichannel opening, and loss of glutamate transporters. In this review, we examine these convergent pathways leading to astrocyte dysfunction, and explore the existing evidence for a therapeutic potential of transplantation of healthy astrocytes in various models. Existing literature presents a wide variety of methods to generate astrocytes, or relevant precursor cells, for subsequent transplantation, while described outcomes of this type of treatment also differ between studies. We take technical differences between methodologies into account to understand the variability of therapeutic benefits, or lack thereof, at a deeper level. We conclude by discussing some key requirements of an astrocyte graft that would be most suitable for clinical applications.

astrocytetransplantationneurodegenerationinjurybrainspinal cordMedical Research Councilhttps://doi.org/10.13039/501100000265MR/S005528/1Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust, Cambridge University Hospitalshttps://doi.org/10.13039/501100002927900287Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust, Cambridge University Hospitalshttps://doi.org/10.13039/501100002927900288Rosetrees Trusthttps://doi.org/10.13039/501100000833Seedcorn2020\100084National Institute for Health Researchhttps://doi.org/10.13039/501100000272Clinician Scientist AwardSight Research UKSAC 041Ferblanc foundationResearch grantcover-dateJanuary-December 2022typesetterts1