Olfactory mucosa: a continuos source of neurons.

Olfactory mucosa: a continuos source of neurons. Experimental transplantati on of embryonic nervous cells in the central nervous system demonstrates th at these precursor cells can be used to repair damaged cells in neurodegene ratives diseases. However, the use of cells from embryos is still controver sial and alternative ethically accepted sources are needed to overcome the inherent problems. Several sources have been proposed such as bone marrow c ells, olfactory bulb cells and astrocytes. We suggest the use of neuronal p recursor cells from the nasal olfactory mucosa as an alternative source for transplantation therapy, since these peripheric cells exhibit stem cell ch aracteristics.