Help for Hearing Loss Sought by the Scientific Community
Roberta Singer
Recently, researchers at MIT and Mass Eye and Ear have successfully applied a combination of drugs to the inner ear hair cells of mice that were damaged, resulting in sensorineural hearing loss. The effect has been to partially regenerate structures that have been the root of inner ear hearing loss due to normal aging and excessive noise exposure. Work is continuing to be done to examine ways of extending the life of these hair cells and translate this into helping humans. The future may hold other treatments for hearing loss at some time, in addition to cochlear implants and hearing aids. Excerpts were published in “Cell Reports’ issue of April 11, 2017. #sensorineuralhearingloss,#haircellregeneration,#hearingloss