We can now treat otoferlin-related hearing loss. In the next 10 years, we will continue to reach more groups with specific causes of hearing loss—momentum that will help accelerate the process for everyone.
In Memoriam: George A. Gates, M.D., 1935–2025
George Arthur Gates, M.D., the inaugural medical director of Hearing Health Foundation’s Hearing Restoration Project (HRP), passed away on February 8, 2025.
A New Tool for Targeting Only Supporting Cells in the Inner Ear
This research shows that it is possible to design gene therapies for the ear that are carefully targeted at supporting cells, an essential first step in applying targeted gene therapies to treat hearing loss in humans.
Study Identifies Gene Regulators Behind Hearing Regeneration
Their experiments revealed a class of DNA control elements known as “enhancers” that, after injury, amplify the production of a protein called ATOH1, which in turn induces a suite of genes required to make sensory cells of the inner ear.
Genetic Reprogramming Regenerates Lost Hair Cells in the Mature Mouse Inner Ear
Our results suggest that mature cochlear supporting cells can be reprogrammed into sensory hair cells, providing a possible target for hair cell regeneration in mammals.
The Hearing Restoration Project Adds a New Working Group
Given the need for platforms that provide efficient, reproducible, and reliable outcome measurements, the HRP has created a new, fourth working group this year: Screening.
Key Findings and Next Steps
Where do we want our hair cell regeneration research to be in three years’ time, and what will it take to get us there?
A New Mouse Model for Hearing Loss
A challenge in studying hair cell regeneration has been creating consistent and reliable ways to damage hair cells in laboratory mice. Overcoming this limitation, we developed a more uniform and effective method for hair cell death using the surgical delivery of a sisomicin antibiotic solution directly into the mouse inner ear.
A Protocol for Investigating Hair Cell Regeneration in Birds
The avian inner ear can naturally regenerate sensory hair cells and is therefore an ideal candidate for investigating mechanisms leading to hair cell regeneration and functional recovery.
Regrowing Hair Cells and Nerve Connections to Restore Hearing in Birds
This suggests that birds maintain a precise program for hair cell regeneration that preserves frequency-specific nerve connections, which is an important aspect of proper functional recovery.