Neural differentiation protocols: how to choose the correct approach.

Pluripotent stem cells in neural differentiation:characterization and potential:The establishment and use of pluripotent stem cells(PSCs),including embryonic(ESCs)and induced(iPSCs),constitutes a major scientific breakthrough of the last decades.Human PSCs hold the potential to deliver regenerative therapies in many diseases,including neurological ones.The general approach is to produce functioning human neurons and glial cells in vitro,to be later implanted in the diseased nervous system,replacing dysfunctional or dead cells.In addition,human and other animal-sourced PSCs make useful and dynamic in vitro models for neurodevelopmental,neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders,enabling researchers to continuously produce normal and diseased neurons to investigate basic mechanistic questions,which can eventually lead to new therapeutics.Therefore,the development of efficient protocols to induce neural differentiation in ESCs and iPSCs is currently a major effort in the field(Mertens et al.,2016).