Repair of central nervous system lesions by transplantation of olfactory ensheathing cells

Clinical conditions affecting the central nervous system (CNS) fall into two main categories - degenerative conditions in which nerve cells are lost (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's disease, etc.), and traumatic insults which sever nerve fibers but leave their cell bodies and initial parts of the severed axons intact (spinal cord injury, cerebrovascular accidents, or tumors affecting fiber tracts). After injuries of this second type, the survival of the nerve cell bodies and the local sprouting at the severed ends of the proximal stumps of the axons raise the tantalizing possibility of one day learning how to induce these severed fibers to regenerate to their original targets and restore lost functions. This chapter gives an overview of current research into the strategy of transplantation of olfactory ensheathing cells into axotomizing injuries.