Towards the Regeneration of Hair Cells to Restore Lost Hearing

Loss of hair cells in the inner ear is thought to be the primary mechanism behind the progression of age-related hearing loss, though there is some debate over whether it is in fact loss of cells versus loss of the connections that link hair cells to the brain. For some years, the research community has investigated whether or not it is possible to generate new hair cells in a living animal, bypassing the usual inability to replace losses in this cell population. Various approaches to signaling and cell therapy have been attempted, but despite interesting technology demonstrations, there is as yet little progress towards clinical translation of this research. Various mechanisms can cause sensorineural hearing loss, among which irreversible damage to inner ear hair cells is the main cause. Although the commonly used hearing aids and cochlear implants in clinical practice improve the hearing of patients, their effect depends on the quantity and quality of residual hair cells and spiral neurons. Therefore, the ideal way to treat sensorineural hearing loss is to regenerate hair cells, through the use of stem cells to repair the structure and function of the cochlea, so as to fundamentally restore hearing. Stem cell therapy in the auditory field has been a research hotspot in recent years. Although some progress has been made, almost all are results at the animal level, and there is still a long way to go before clinical transformation. The microenvironment of inne...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs