These findings reveal a previously unrecognized mechanism of hair cell regeneration with implications for how hair cells may be encouraged to regenerate in the mammalian inner ear.
Mathematical Analysis of Zebrafish Cell Shape Shows Connection With Cell Function
Our results demonstrate the utility of using 3D cell shape features to characterize, compare, and classify cells in a living, developing organism.
Driven by Data and Collaboration
The collaborative spirit of our Hearing Restoration Project consortium is especially evident as we work together to complete a publication describing our analysis of hair cell gene expression.
Inner Ear Cell Types Between Fish and Mammals Show Similarities
The similarities of inner ear cell type composition between fish and mammals validate the zebrafish as a relevant model for understanding inner ear-specific hair cell function and regeneration.
Elusive Cell Type in Fish Sensory Organs Discovered
Researchers from the Piotrowski Lab describe their discovery of the occasional occurrence of a pair of cells within post-embryonic and adult neuromasts that are not labeled by lateral line markers. When using a technique called Zebrabow, these cells are labeled a different color than the rest of the neuromast.
Study Explains ‘Cocktail Party Effect’ In Hearing Impairment
Commonly known as the “cocktail party effect,” people with hearing loss find it’s especially difficult to understand speech in a noisy environment. New research suggests that this may have less to do with actually discerning sounds. Instead, it may be a processing problem in which two ears blend different sounds together.
How Beautiful Hearing Loss Research Can Be
Hearing Health Foundation (HHF)’s scientists study sensory cells in various species to better understand how they are damaged and how they can be regenerated to restore human hearing. Here are five of the most breathtaking images from our scientists’ labs showcasing the beauty of the hearing and balance functions.
Looking to Other Sensory Organs to Better Understand Hair Cell Regeneration
In a Sept. 25, 2019, article published in the Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology, Hearing Restoration Project (HRP) consortium member Tatjana Piotrowski, Ph.D., and colleagues at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Missouri summarize the existing literature on hair cell regeneration in the context of sensory cell regeneration more broadly.
Size Control of the Inner Ear Through Fluid Pressure
In our paper published in the journal eLife on Oct. 1, 2019, we examined how this balloon grows into the more complex ear. Our work helped us formulate a new mathematical theory on how ear growth in animals is controlled.
Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Reveals More Clues for Hair Cell Regeneration
To study the genetic program of hair cell regeneration in zebrafish, we sequenced the RNA of individual cells within neuromasts, allowing us to classify cell types based on their gene expression signature.