Recent studies have illuminated the crucial role of astrocytes in maintaining proper neuronal health and function. Abnormalities in astrocytic functions have now been implicated in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), Huntington’s disease (HD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Historically, drug development programs for neurodegenerative diseases generally target only neurons, overlooking the contributions of astrocytes. Therefore, targeting both disease neurons and astrocytes offers a new approach for drug development for the treatment of neurological diseases. Looking forward, the co-culturing of human neurons with astrocytes could be the next evolutionary step in drug discovery for neurodegenerative diseases.

最近的研究阐明了星形胶质细胞在维持适当的神经元健康和功能中的关键作用。星形胶质细胞功能异常现已牵涉到神经退行性疾病的发病机理中，包括阿尔茨海默氏病（AD），帕金森氏病（PD），亨廷顿氏病（HD）和肌萎缩性侧索硬化症（ALS）。从历史上看，用于神经退行性疾病的药物开发计划通常只针对神经元，而忽略了星形胶质细胞的作用。因此，同时靶向疾病神经元和星形胶质细胞为治疗神经系统疾病的药物开发提供了一种新方法。展望未来，人类神经元与星形胶质细胞的共培养可能是神经退行性疾病药物研发中的下一个进化步骤。