Human Olfactory Ensheathing Cells
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Expansion of cell lines and biochemical engineering of human olfactory ensheathing cells obtained from biopsies of nasal mucosa.
IRAS ID
229297
Contact name
David Choi
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Z6364106/2017/10/53, UCL Data Protection Registration Number
Duration of Study in the UK
5 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Spinal cord injury (SCI) can result in permanent disability, but no curative treatment has been found to restore lost function, therefore, extensive experimental studies have to be conducted to promote recovery after SCI. One of the most promising therapies is based on the use of olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs). OECs can be obtained from the olfactory mucosa in the nose, and have emerged as an encouraging cell candidate for transplantation therapies to repair the injured spinal cord, with multiple animal models showing significant functional improvements and several human trials establishing that the procedure is safe and feasible. Even though the results are promising with some animal models showing remarkable restoration of function, the variability amongst studies in terms of outcome assessments, cell purity, cell culture and transplantation protocols make it difficult to reach firm conclusions about the effectiveness of OEC transplant therapy to treat SCIs. These variations need to be addressed in order to achieve a more realistic understanding of how the benefits of OEC transplantation enhance therapeutic outcomes.
Previous studies established the part of the nose where OECs were to be found. Techniques were developed to grow and multiply these cells in the laboratory, the appearance and behaviour of these cells were studied and tested to determine whether they could help spinal cord and nerve repair.
The objectives of this study are to obtain human OECs from biopsies of the nasal mucosa for the ex vivo expansion of cell lines to overcome the limitation of the low frequency of stem cells and to research the possibility of inducing regeneration of injured spinal cord through biochemical engineering, as well as characterisation of the cell product.
This research will contribute to the potential of repairing spinal cord and nerve root injuries, to benefit patients and the health care service.REC name
London - Westminster Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/LO/0108
Date of REC Opinion
28 Feb 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion