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Those that suffer from neurological disorders such as- multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury and amyotrophc lateral sclerosis (ALS) may benefit from cutting edge cell transplants.

There are unique cells that support and surround the neurons in the nose. They are known as olfactory ensheathing cells or OEC’s. OEC’s have the ability to regenerate and they are relatively easy to obtain. These factors make them prime for transplantations to repair  some lesions in the central nervous system.

The latest OEC research is related to cerebral palsy (CP). CP is a neurological disorder that appears from infancy to early childhood. CP is essentially a class of brain lesion caused by abnormal development, injury, etc.. It has permanent effects on muscle movement of the child.

The issue 19(2) Cell Transplantation publication contains research from transplanted OEC clinical trials done in China.  33 children and adolescents  with CP were involved in the study. According to the research, 83% of the children had abnormal radiological findings. White matter damage or shrinkage, tissue loss, inadequate or delayed myelination, glial scars, etc.. were observed.

OEC’s were injected into a key location in the frontal lobes of the brain- ie- “Key Point for Neural network Restoration (KPNNR)." The theory being that the injected OECs would produce Schwann cell-like myelin sheaths around demyelinated axons.

The results of the study are amazing, despite the small sample size of the research. Dr. Huang, concluded OEC KPNNR transplantation may be effective for functional improvement in CP children. "Our results showed that transplanting OECs into CP patients could improve the neurological function of the patients and did not cause significant side effects. The procedure may be a plausible method to treat this as yet incurable disorder."- Dr. Huang.

Read issue 19(2) Cell Transplantation publication here