Immortalized Human Astrocytes, fetal-hTERT

Immortalized Human Astrocytes, were derived from human fetal brain and transduced with lentivirus encoding human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT). Restoring telomerase activity allows these cells to bypass replicative senescence, while maintaining a normal diploid karyotype and physiologic morphology for hundreds of population doublings. Compared to primary astrocytes which senesce within days to weeks of in vitro culture, fetal‑hTERT cells allow for a stable, scalable, renewable source of cells which exhibit many fundamental characteristics of astrocytes such as GFAP expression, cytokine secretion, and glutamate uptake.

Applications of this cell line go beyond serving as a "generic" model of glia in neurobiology. Their use includes serving as an in vitro model for isolating mechanisms of the aging epigenome by decoupling replication-driven DNA methylation (DNAm) drift from age itself. Additionally, they can be used to study the blood‑brain barrier (BBB) and neuroinflammation, as they can be cocultured with endothelial cells to better replicate in vitro models of the BBB. In translational science, these cells have been used to understand viral neurotropism (SARS-CoV-2, Zika virus) and screen for neuroprotective drugs. Strictly research use (BSL-2).