Developing a stem cell-based therapy for the treatment of hearing loss

Abstract

Hearing is fundamental to allow the effective development of spoken language, verbal communication and the enjoyment of music. For most people the loss of this sense is a catastrophic event with enormous personal, social, and economic consequences. Deafness is aggravated by its irreversible nature and the lack to date of a curative treatment. The latest advances in regenerative medicine and stem cell research, and the potential therapies ensuing as consequence of these new technologies have raised great expectations in almost every area of medicine, including otology. During the last few years, our field has witnessed very exciting discoveries which would suggest that a restorative repair of the damaged cochlea by using stem cells is conceptually possible. While the comprehensive development of a stem cell-based therapy to treat deafness is still several years into the future, it is no longer in the realm of science fiction and has become a clear possibility.

Key words::

• stem cells
• hearing loss
• spiral ganglion neurons

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.