• Compare Products
Menu
Account
Make more informed purchasing decisions with our new product availability and delivery estimate feature, now available on all product pages, in your cart, and during checkout.

STEMdiff™ Microglia Differentiation Kit

Differentiation kit for the generation of microglia precursors from human ES and iPS cell-derived hematopoietic progenitor cells

Loading...
 
 
Need a high-quality cell source? Use the hiPSC SCTi003-A (female) or SCTi004-A (male) control lines, manufactured with mTeSR™ Plus.

STEMdiff™ Microglia Differentiation Kit

Differentiation kit for the generation of microglia precursors from human ES and iPS cell-derived hematopoietic progenitor cells

From: 815 USD
Catalog #
(Select a product)
Differentiation kit for the generation of microglia precursors from human ES and iPS cell-derived hematopoietic progenitor cells
Add to Wish List

Product Advantages


  • Greater than 90% of source HPCs are differentiated into microglia.

  • Upstream compatibility with HPCs generated using the STEMdiff™ Hematopoietic Kit and co-culture with STEMdiff™ neural organoids.

  • Allows differentiation to microglia with few contaminating macrophages or monocytes.

  • Microglia generated with the kit demonstrate phagocytosis and activation.

  • Required materials are provided in a simple, easy-to-use format.

What's Included

  • STEMdiff™ Microglia Differentiation Kit (Catalog #100-0019)
    • STEMdiff™ Microglia Basal Medium, 90 mL
    • STEMdiff™ Microglia Supplement 1, 10 mL
    • STEMdiff™ Microglia Supplement 2, 400 μL
Products for Your Protocol
To see all required products for your protocol, please consult the Protocols and Documentation.
  1. STEMdiff™ Hematopoietic Kit
    STEMdiff™ Hematopoietic Kit

    For differentiation of human ES or iPS cells into hematopoietic progenitor cells

  2. STEMdiff™ Microglia Maturation Kit
    STEMdiff™ Microglia Maturation Kit

    Maturation kit for the generation of microglia from human ES and iPS cell-derived microglia precursors

  3. DMEM/F-12 with 15 mM HEPES
    DMEM/F-12 with 15 mM HEPES

    Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium/Nutrient Ham's Mixture F-12 (DMEM/F-12) with 15 mM HEPES buffer

  4. Falcon® Conical Tubes, 15 mL
    Falcon® Conical Tubes, 15 mL

    Sterile polypropylene conical tubes for use in cell centrifugation and other cell culture applications

Overview

The STEMdiff™ Microglia Culture System comprises STEMdiff™ Microglia Differentiation Kit and STEMdiff™ Microglia Maturation Kit. Together, these kits are used to differentiate and mature microglia derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) using STEMdiff™ Hematopoietic Kit (Catalog #05310).

Based on the protocol from the laboratory of Mathew Blurton-Jones (Abud et al., 2017), the resulting cells are a highly pure population of microglia (> 80% CD45/CD11b-positive, > 50% TREM2-positive microglia; < 20% morphologically distinct monocytes or macrophages).

Cells derived using these products are versatile tools for modeling neuroinflammation, studying human neurological development and disease, co-culture applications, and toxicity testing.
Subtype
Specialized Media
Cell Type
Hematopoietic Cells, PSC-Derived, Microglia, Neural Cells, PSC-Derived
Species
Human
Application
Cell Culture, Differentiation
Brand
STEMdiff
Area of Interest
Disease Modeling, Drug Discovery and Toxicity Testing, Immunology, Neuroscience
Formulation Category
Serum-Free

Data Figures

Experimental protocol schematic for generating microglial precursors from hPSC-derived hematopoietic progenitor cells.

Figure 1. Schematic for the STEMdiff™ Microglia Culture System Protocol

Microglial precursors can be generated in 24 days from hPSC-derived hematopoietic progenitor cells. For the generation of hematopoietic progenitor cells, see documentation for STEMdiff™ Hematopoietic Kit (Catalog #05310). For the maturation of microglial precursors to functional microglia, see the PIS.

Bulk RNA-seq heatmap showing that STEMdiff™ Microglia express disease-relevant genes similar to those from popular protocols.

Figure 2. Microglia Generated with STEMdiff™ Microglia Culture System Express Disease-Relevant Genes Similar to Those from Published Differentiation and Maturation Protocols

Bulk RNA-seq datasets were extracted from 8 different publications that generated hPSC- (iMGL) and primary- (MGL) derived microglia and their transcriptional profiles compared to data from microglia generated with STEMdiff™ Microglia Culture System. The heat map displays absolute expression levels for select genes associated with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and viral encephalitis. Significant differences in gene expression between microglia generated with STEMdiff™ Microglia Culture System and any of the other 3 groups were identified by differential gene expression analysis. *= p<0.05 (DEseq2, adjusted). hPSC = human pluripotent stem cell.

Graphs demonstrating that STEMdiff™ Microglia release cytokines in response to LPS stimulation, compared to control.

Figure 3. Microglia Generated with STEMdiff™ Microglia Culture System Release Cytokines in Response to Inflammatory Signals

Microglia were generated using the STEMdiff™ Microglia Culture System and stimulated with 100 ng/mL LPS for 24 hours. The release of pro-inflammatory (TNFα, IL-6, IFN-γ, IL-1β, GM-CSF, IL-12p70, IL-2, IL-8) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines were measured by MSD. The microglia release cytokines in response to LPS treatment, as expected. *, p ≤ 0.05; **, p ≤ 0.01; ***, p ≤ 0.001; ****, p ≤ 0.0001. LPS = lipopolysaccharide; MSD = Meso Scale Discovery.

Time lapse of functional microglia phagocytosing bioindicator particles in culture. Over time, cells turn red and aggregate.

Figure 4. STEMdiff™ Microglia Culture System Generates Functional Microglia Capable of Phagocytosis at Day 34

Microglia taking up pH-sensitive bioindicator particles at a concentration of 250 μg/mL (small dots) were measured over a 12-hour time period with live cell imaging. As the particles are phagocytosed, the cells turn red. Over time, the number of small dots decreased, and the red cells increased in number and aggregated. Scale bar = 100μm.

Figure 5. PSC-Derived Microglia Incorporate into Brain Organoids After 10 Days and Display an Activated Morphology upon Injury.

(A) Representative microglia and brain organoid co-cultures after 10 days, stained with IBA1 for microglia (green) and MAP2 for neurons (magenta). The microglia integrate among the neurons and display an unactivated morphology with extended processes (arrow). (B) The microglia display an activated amoeboid morphology upon injury as shown by IBA1 staining.

Protocols and Documentation

Find supporting information and directions for use in the Product Information Sheet or explore additional protocols below.

Document Type
Product Name
Catalog #
Lot #
Language
Document Type
Product Information Sheet
Product Name
STEMdiff™ Microglia Differentiation Kit
Catalog #
100-0019
Lot #
All
Language
English
Document Type
Safety Data Sheet 1
Product Name
STEMdiff™ Microglia Differentiation Kit
Catalog #
100-0019
Lot #
All
Language
English
Document Type
Safety Data Sheet 2
Product Name
STEMdiff™ Microglia Differentiation Kit
Catalog #
100-0019
Lot #
All
Language
English
Document Type
Safety Data Sheet 3
Product Name
STEMdiff™ Microglia Differentiation Kit
Catalog #
100-0019
Lot #
All
Language
English

Applications

This product is designed for use in the following research area(s) as part of the highlighted workflow stage(s). Explore these workflows to learn more about the other products we offer to support each research area.

Research Area
Workflow Stages

Resources and Publications

Educational Materials (27)

STEMCELL Neural Product Portfolio
Brochure
STEMCELL Neural Product Portfolio
STEMdiff™ Hematopoietic Kit
Brochure
STEMdiff™ Hematopoietic Kit
Products for Human Pluripotent Stem Cells
Brochure
Products for Human Pluripotent Stem Cells
hPSC Differentiation: Tools for Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Research
Brochure
hPSC Differentiation: Tools for Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Research
How to Co-Culture Human Pluripotent Stem Cell (hPSC)-Derived Forebrain Neurons and Microglia
Protocol
How to Co-Culture Human Pluripotent Stem Cell (hPSC)-Derived Forebrain Neurons and Microglia
How to Tri-Culture Human Pluripotent Stem Cell (hPSC)-Derived Forebrain Neurons, Astrocytes, and Microglia
Protocol
How to Tri-Culture Human Pluripotent Stem Cell (hPSC)-Derived Forebrain Neurons, Astrocytes, and Mic...
Derivation and Applications of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells
Wallchart
Derivation and Applications of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells
Directed Differentiation of Pluripotent Stem Cells
Wallchart
Directed Differentiation of Pluripotent Stem Cells
Development and QC of SCTi003-A, A Highly Characterized Human iPSC Line for Stem Cell Research
7:10
Video
Development and QC of SCTi003-A, A Highly Characterized Human iPSC Line for Stem Cell Research
How to Count hPSC Aggregates to Determine Plating Density for Maintenance and Differentiation
3:39
Video
How to Count hPSC Aggregates to Determine Plating Density for Maintenance and Differentiation
Highly Characterized Human iPSCs and NPCs for Downstream Differentiation Applications
30:53
Webinar
Highly Characterized Human iPSCs and NPCs for Downstream Differentiation Applications
STEMdiff™ Kits for Robust and Efficient Differentiation of hPSCs to Multiple Cell Types
20:24
Webinar
STEMdiff™ Kits for Robust and Efficient Differentiation of hPSCs to Multiple Cell Types
Modeling Neurodegenerative Diseases with STEMdiff™ Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Neural Culture Systems
23:25
Webinar
Modeling Neurodegenerative Diseases with STEMdiff™ Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Neural Culture Sy...
Development of iPSCs, Differentiated Cells, and Organoids Under Stringent Quality Standards
13:32
Webinar
Development of iPSCs, Differentiated Cells, and Organoids Under Stringent Quality Standards
Engineering the Hematopoietic System to Treat Non-Hematological Disorders
1:03:01
Webinar
Engineering the Hematopoietic System to Treat Non-Hematological Disorders
Human iPSC BBB Models for Studying Immune Cell Interactions
52:23
Webinar
Human iPSC BBB Models for Studying Immune Cell Interactions
How to Choose the Right Neural Cell Culture Model for Your Research Question
24:45
Webinar
How to Choose the Right Neural Cell Culture Model for Your Research Question
Guided Neural Organoid Culture Systems: Adding Dimensions to Model Neural Circuitry and Function
38:43
Webinar
Guided Neural Organoid Culture Systems: Adding Dimensions to Model Neural Circuitry and Function
Modeling Alzheimer's risk using human TREM2-knockout microglia
56:09
Webinar
Modeling Alzheimer's risk using human TREM2-knockout microglia
ISSCR Innovation Showcase: Advanced Brain Organoid Co-Culture Systems
1:01:37
Webinar
ISSCR Innovation Showcase: Advanced Brain Organoid Co-Culture Systems
Generation of Microglia From Human Pluripotent Stem Cells for Neurodegenerative Disease Modeling
Scientific Poster
Generation of Microglia From Human Pluripotent Stem Cells for Neurodegenerative Disease Modeling
Rapid, High-Efficiency Differentiation of Motor Neurons from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells
Scientific Poster
Rapid, High-Efficiency Differentiation of Motor Neurons from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells
Generation of a Glia-Midbrain Neuron Co-Culture System Derived From Human Pluripotent Stem Cells
Scientific Poster
Generation of a Glia-Midbrain Neuron Co-Culture System Derived From Human Pluripotent Stem Cells
In Vitro Modeling of Parkinson’s Disease Using Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Midbrain Neuron and Microglia Co-Culture with Alpha-Synuclein Fibrils
Scientific Poster
In Vitro Modeling of Parkinson’s Disease Using Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Midbrain Neuron...
It Takes Two—Or Three: Comparing Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Derived Glia-Neuron Co-Cultures to Neuron Monoculture Under Basal and Injury Conditions
Scientific Poster
It Takes Two—Or Three: Comparing Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Derived Glia-Neuron Co-Cultures to Ne...
Using Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Microglia As Models For Neurological Disease Research
Scientific Poster
Using Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Microglia As Models For Neurological Disease Research
Generation of a Glia-Neuron Co-Culture System Derived From Human Pluripotent Stem Cells
Scientific Poster
Generation of a Glia-Neuron Co-Culture System Derived From Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Related Products

Related Products
Need a high-quality cell source? Use the hiPSC SCTi003-A (female) or SCTi004-A (male) control lines, manufactured with mTeSR™ Plus.
Legal Statement:

Copyright © 2024 by STEMCELL Technologies Inc. All rights reserved including graphics and images. STEMCELL Technologies & Design, STEMCELL Shield Design, Scientists Helping Scientists, and STEMdiff are trademarks of STEMCELL Technologies Canada Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders. While STEMCELL has made all reasonable efforts to ensure that the information provided by STEMCELL and its suppliers is correct, it makes no warranties or representations as to the accuracy or completeness of such information.

Quality Statement:

PRODUCTS ARE FOR RESEARCH USE ONLY AND NOT INTENDED FOR HUMAN OR ANIMAL DIAGNOSTIC OR THERAPEUTIC USES UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON QUALITY AT STEMCELL, REFER TO WWW.STEMCELL.COM/COMPLIANCE.

Copyright © 2025 by STEMCELL Technologies. All rights reserved.