ANOSMIA RESEARCH AT MONELL

Because anosmia has many causes, we need multiple research and treatment approaches and will continue to initiate additional research projects as funding becomes available. Here is a list of anosmia-related projects currently ongoing at Monell, along with recruitment information about opportunities to participate in designated studies. Please direct questions about any of Monell’s research projects via our website’s Contact Us page, selecting Clinical Questions About Anosmia on the pull-down menu. Click here to sign up for updates on Monell’s anosmia research.





1. Olfactory Stem Cells



Monell’s initial targeted anosmia research project takes advantage of 1) the unique ability of olfactory receptor cells to regenerate from specialized stem cells across a person’s lifetime, and 2) Monell’s pioneering development of biopsy techniques that enable us to harvest and study living human olfactory tissue.



The first goal focuses on identifying the basic mechanisms of human olfactory stem cell regeneration. Monell scientists are working to identify how to isolate stem cells taken from healthy humans and then induce the stem cells to grow into mature fully-functional olfactory receptor cells.





Once this is achieved, the next phase will involve developing transplantation techniques that could potentially lead to clinical trials within the next decade.





Monell stem cell expert Peihua Jiang, PhD, is lead investigator on this complex and challenging project. Dr. Jiang, who helped to identify taste stem cells on the tongue, is applying his expertise on sensory regeneration to propel our studies on how to isolate healthy olfactory stem cells and prompt them to grow into functioning olfactory receptor neurons.





2. Genetics of Congenital Anosmia

This study is to identify the genes that cause congenital anosmia may inform us about the underlying causes of anosmia and potentially identify treatment options.

Led by Monell neuroscientist Joel Mainland, PhD, we are studying genes in individuals with congenital anosmia.

Participants complete a brief odor identification test to measure smell ability and provide a sample of saliva, which they ship to Monell in a tube. The key to the study is the saliva—from which we collect participant DNA and search for genetic clues to the puzzle of congenital anosmia.

Dr. Mainland’s lab uses cutting-edge sequencing technology to examine approximately 30,000 genes from each participant to identify genes that may cause congenital anosmia. Any gene that is altered in multiple unrelated anosmics is very likely to be important, and this will also help us determine how many different types of anosmia can occur across individuals.

RECRUITMENT SUMMARY



This study is no longer recruiting participants







3. Smell Loss and Brain Sensory Integration



This study will explore how smell loss affects both 1) how the brain integrates information from the other senses and 2) behaviors related to sensory integration.

RECRUITMENT SUMMARY :

This study is no longer recruiting participants







4. Smell Training Following Surgical Polyp Removal



Monell scientists Johan Lundström, PhD, and Noam Cohen, MD, PhD, are conducting a study to better understand how smell training can improve recovery of smell following surgery for removal of nasal polyps. Polyp removal, when indicated, is currently the only treatment option for anosmia that demonstrates a decent outcome, yet few patients fully recover their sense of smell. The focus of the current study is to systematically test the single and combined effectiveness of smell training plus two different techniques, each known to stimulate and restore sensory brain pathways that deteriorate following loss of smell.

NOT RECRUITING



This study is open only to a subset of patients undergoing nasal polyp surgery at the University of Pennsylvania and is not otherwise recruiting participants. Please do not contact the scientists.







5. Olfactory Loss and Cognitive Function



Although smell loss by itself does not necessarily predict neurodegenerative disease or cognitive loss, declines in olfactory function have been shown to be among the earliest signs of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Monell cognitive scientist Pamela Dalton, PhD, is working with the internet-based Brain Health Registry (BHR) to more precisely understand how our ability to smell is associated with changes in health status or cognitive function.

The initial goal is to compare cognitive and olfactory information from 1000 BHR participants with normal olfaction or smell loss.

The Brain Health Registry (BHR) is an online repository of information provided by over 40,000 adult volunteers age 18 and older about their health, medical history, and lifestyle. The BHR’s goal is to speed the path to cures for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, depression, PTSD, mild cognitive impairment and other brain disorders.

RECRUTIMENT SUMMARY :

All recruitment for this study is being done via participation in the BHR. Participation in the BHR is not dependent on olfactory status or ability. For more information and to enroll in the BHR, visit http://www.brainhealthregistry.org. Please do not contact Dr. Dalton directly.

If your BHR profile indicates that you qualify for this study, the BHR will contact you to ask if you are interested in participating. You will then be mailed an odor identification test and asked to record your responses online.

Please note that participation is anonymous and that you will not receive individual results from any of the questionnaires.





ADDITIONAL MONELL RESEARCH

Many of Monell’s scientists focus on the olfactory system. Their research ranges from understanding the role of cognitive influence on olfactory perception to identification of the intracellular molecular events involved in odor detection and transmission to mapping out the complex smell circuits in the brain.



Some of these studies have the potential to increase understanding of the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of anosmia. For example:

