This work provides a new starting point to investigate the natural triggers of hair cell regeneration in birds. We also identified novel genes that drive hair cell regeneration in the chicken inner ear. These novel genes will be key for investigating their potential role in triggering a change in supporting cells in mammals, in the damaged mouse or human cochlea.
Several Novel Findings Describing Cochlear Hair Cell Regeneration in Birds
Funding provided by Hearing Health Foundation through the Hearing Restoration Project (HRP) has helped the development of a new research program in the laboratory of Stefan Heller, Ph.D., at Stanford University focusing on chicken hair cell regeneration. Several years after its inception, this research is now bearing fruit.