Two months after treatment, we saw that some GAPS-treated guinea pigs had a statistically significant increase in new hair cell-like cells compared with controls. Future steps will be to investigate the origin as well as the function of these hair cell-like cells.
Molecular Barriers to Overcome for Hair Cell Regeneration in the Adult Mouse Cochlea
The research suggests that reprogramming with multiple transcription factors is better able to access the hair cell differentiation gene regulatory network, but that additional interventions may be necessary to produce mature and fully functional hair cells.
A Combination of Genes to Enhance Hair Cell Regeneration in the Adult Mammalian Cochlea
Due to the lack of spontaneous regeneration, the hearing loss caused by hair cell loss is permanent. One way to envision future biological/medical repair of the hair cell-depleted inner ear is to medically induce the generation of new hair cells.
HHF Connects with Researchers at the World’s Largest Conference on Hearing & Balance Science
Nearly 1,800 hearing and balance researchers and related experts gathered Jan. 25–29, 2020, in San Jose, CA for the 43rd annual Midwinter Meeting of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology (ARO), the largest academic association in the field. This included a number of Hearing Health Foundation (HHF)-affiliated researchers, members of the HHF Board of Directors and scientific advisory bodies, and HHF staff.