Cryopreserved cells isolated from the adult canine olfactory bulb are capable of extensive remyelination following transplantation into the adult rat CNS.

Naturally occurring spinal cord injury in dogs provides a potentially powerful intermediate model for testing the efficacy of therapeutic strategies developed in experimental rodent models before phase 1 trials in human patients. A particularly promising strategy involves transplantation of olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) that both promote axon regeneration and generate new myelin sheaths. As a first step in developing OEC transplantation in the canine intermediate model we describe the isolation, purification, and characterization of OECs from adult dog olfactory bulb. We also show that the canine OEC behaves in a manner similar to its rodent counterpart following transplantation into demyelinating lesions in rat spinal cord and that these properties are retained following cryopreservation.