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Review
. 2025 Jun:94:102552.
doi: 10.1016/j.coi.2025.102552. Epub 2025 Mar 25.

Harnessing microglia-based cell therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases

Adeline E Walsh  1 , John R Lukens  2
Affiliations
Review

Harnessing microglia-based cell therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases

Adeline E Walsh et al. Curr Opin Immunol. 2025 Jun.

Abstract

Given the growing evidence linking microglia to the onset and progression of various neurodegenerative diseases, these brain-resident macrophages have emerged as a promising cell type for targeted therapeutic interventions. This review highlights recent studies that utilized innovative, microglia-focused strategies for the treatment of diverse neurodegenerative disorders including lysosomal storage disorders, granulin frontotemporal dementia, and Alzheimer's disease. Cutting-edge therapeutic strategies range from replacing faulty microglia with peripheral macrophage precursors or induced human pluripotent stem cell-derived microglia to engineering microglia that target toxic aggregates or deliver remediating payloads. We also examine the potential limitations as well as the clinical benefits of these strategies.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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