Axonal regeneration using nasal mucosa derived olfactory cells
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Sourcing specialized olfactory ensheathing cells from nasal mucosal lining of adults to repair spinal cord injuries
IRAS ID
243945
Contact name
Ahmed Ibrahim
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Barking Havering and Redbridge University Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 3 months, 29 days
Research summary
A large body of research supports the use of olfactory ensheathing cells (OEC) in the repair of spinal cord injuries. There are 2 main sources of OECs, the olfactory bulb, and the nasal mucosa. While olfactory bulb-derived cells have been shown to result in robust restoration of neurological function, nasal mucosa-derived OEC cells have been shown to be less effective.
There are, however, significant barriers to clinical translation of harvesting autologous human olfactory bulb which can be cultured and transplanted into the injured segment of the spinal cord. The surgery to obtain the olfactory bulb carried significant risks to the patient.
A strategy to overcome this barrier we have developed a new culture method that has resulted in a 3 fold increase in nasal olfactory cells yield. We have also seen an excellent neurological restoration using the modified mucosal culture methods.
We would like to replicate this result with human nasal mucosal cells using the modified culture method and to test the efficacy of these cells in restoring neurological function.REC name
West Midlands - Coventry & Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/WM/0188
Date of REC Opinion
20 Nov 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion