Possible Future Cure for Deafness

Cochlear implants help with deafness in the way that they restore some or all hearing by working in place of damaged hair cells of the inner ear. However, up until recently, nothing could help in the case of damaged sensory neurons that carry signals from the ear to the brain. Scientists have successfully been able to restore the hearing in deaf Gerbils by transplanting human stem cells into them and promoting the regrowth of damaged/destroyed sensory neurons. They did this by exposing the stem cells to the same growth factor that causes them to form into ears. They then were able to isolate the stem cells that would begin to differentiate into the required sensory neurons, before transplanting them into the deaf Gerbils.



Human stem cells, shown in yellow, inside the ears of Gerbils.


 

This article was interesting to me because I've come across some deaf people, particularly my brother, who is deaf in one ear. The way he lives without being to hear through his left ear makes me wonder what his perspective on life is (hearing-wise), and how it could change dramatically if he could all of a sudden hear through his deaf ear. Kind of like how a blind person would react if he could see for the first time. Moreover, this kind of research would tremendously help those who are fully deaf, by restoring their hearing in what might possibly be a relatively simple manner (as opposed to opening up the skull surgically).

Article found here.