Effects of substrate and co-culture on neural progenitor cell differentiation

For stem and progenitor cells to become clinically useful, the factors that influence their differentiation must be better understood. The interaction between progenitor cells and their environment is thought to be one of the main influences on differentiation. This thesis examines the effects of media conditioned by primary astrocytes and extracellular matrix protein surface coatings on the differentiation of neural progenitor cells.