R2G Microglia Phagocytosis Assay Services

THE CHALLENGE

ASSAY USING RELEVANT, RELIABLE IN VITRO MODELS

Microglia are the immune-effector cells in the CNS that are activated in response to injury, neurodegeneration, and infection. One major function of these cells is phagocytosis of potential threats to neuronal health, including pathogens and extracellular protein aggregates. Microglia are also largely responsible for neurite-network modulation, synapse pruning, and clearing of dead cells. The implication of these varied and numerous roles of microglia are becoming clearer in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, in which prolonged activation of microglia leads to neuronal death. Identifying therapeutics that can modulate microglial activity remains a promising avenue for drug development, but these efforts are stymied by the unavailability of relevant, reliable in vitro models with which to screen candidates. Most studies resort to using rodent-derived or immortalized microglial models that do not mirror human biology. Some assays use primary microglia, but sufficient cells are difficult to isolate and, when isolated, are largely already activated.

OUR SOLUTION

USING PHYSIOLOGICALLY RELEVANT CELL MODELS IN HUMAN iPSC-DERIVED MICROGLIA

Our Ready-2-Go Microglia Phagocytosis Assay Service measures the uptake of bacterial bioparticles by a physiologically relevant cell model – human iPSC-derived microglia (Fujifilm CDI). These iPSC-microglia afford reproducible results and can be scaled up to medium- or high-throughput formats for screening compounds. To incorporate Alzheimer’s disease relevance into this assay offering, you can choose between wild-type, TREM2 homozygous, or TREM2 heterozygous cell lines.

ASSAY OUTLINE

Human iPSC-derived microglia (Fujifilm CDI) are seeded into 384-well plates and left to recover before compound addition. The cells are then treated with reference compounds that promote or inhibit activation of phagocytosis along with your test articles overnight. Bacterial bioparticles that fluoresce upon cellular uptake are added to the cells, and fluorescence is measured every hour for 24 hours. Cells are then fixed and imaged on a high-content microscope, and images are analyzed to provide you quantitative, end-point assessments of your compounds’ effects on microglial phagocytosis.