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Stem Cells Aid in Hearing Recovery
June 25, 2007 at 10:58 AM
Research News
Hearing loss has many causes, including genetics, aging, and infection, and may be complete or partial. Such loss may involve damage to inner ear cells called cochlear fibrocytes, which are fundamental to inner ear function.
Some natural regeneration of these cells can occur after acute damage, leading to partial recovery of temporary hearing loss. But could such restoration be enhanced by using bone marrow stem cells, which can differentiate into various tissue-specific cell types"
Dr. Tatsuo Matsunaga of National Tokyo Medical Center pursued this hypothesis by utilizing a well-characterized rat model of drug-induced hearing loss. This model specifically destroys cochlear fibrocytes and leads to acute hearing loss.
Although partial recovery occurs over many weeks, high-frequency hearing remains extremely diminished. Using this system, the investigators examined whether direct administration of stem cells into the inner ear could restore the cochlear fibrocyte population and aid hearing recovery.
Stem cells injected into the inner ear survived in half of the injured rats, where they migrated away from the site of injection toward the injured region within the inner ear. These stem cells divided in the new environment and expressed several proteins necessary for hearing, suggesting tissue-specific differentiation. Further, transplanted cells that migrated to the damaged area of the inner ear displayed shape similar to that of cochlear fibrocytes.
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More News on: Stem Cells - Cord Blood, Stem Cells - Fundamentals, Parkinsons Disease Surgical Treatment, Bone Marrow Transplantation, Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cells
 Comment & Contribute
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rajneeshtomar(Guest)
01/23/2010
This is grt. I am father of a child with profound hearing loss in one ear. I have benn avoiding the option of CI as it is invasive. If stem cell can restore even 50% of the hearing, i will wait for two to three years.
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