Disclosed is an in vitro method of transdifferentiating an epidermal basal
cell into a cell having one or more morphological, physiological and/or immunological
features of a glial cell. Also disclosed are such transdifferentiated cells and
cell cultures derived from them. A kit for converting, in vitro, epidermal basal
cells into cells having one or more morphological, physiological and/or immunological
features of a glial cell is also disclosed.