Scientists Regrow Sound-Sensing Cells, possible hearing loss treating drug possible in few years - Sensationalist Headlines

[QUOTE]Scientists have coaxed sound-sensing cells in the ear, called "hair cells," to grow from stem cells. This technique, if perfected with human cells, could help halt or reverse the most common form of hearing loss, according to a new study. These delicate hair cells can be damaged by excessive noise, ear infections, certain medicines or the natural process of aging. Human hair cells do not naturally regenerate; so as they die, hearing declines. More than 20 million Americans have significant hearing loss resulting from the death or injury of these sensory hair cells, accounting for about 90 percent of hearing loss in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the new study, scientists at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reported that they isolated stem cells from a mouse ear, discovered how to get them to multiply in a laboratory setting, and then converted them into hair cells. Their previous efforts, in 2013, produced only 200 hair cells. With a new technique, however, the research team has increased this number to 11,500 hair cells that were grown from one mouse ear. [Inside Life Science: Once Upon a Stem Cell] Their paper describing the stem cell advance appears today (Feb. 21) in the journal Cell Reports. Jeffrey Corwin, an expert on hair-cell regeneration and a professor of neuroscience at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, who was not part of this new research, called it "a very impressive study…by a dream team of scientists" and "a big advance" in the pursuit of regenerating these sensory hearing cells in humans. Hair cells grow in bundles in the inner ear, and are so named because they look like hairs. Many hair cells within the ear are involved in balance, not hearing. But in the cochlea, the hearing organ deep in the ear canal, there are two kinds of specialized hair cells: outer hair cells, which amplify pitch and enable humans to discern subtle differences in sound; and inner hair cells, which convert sound into electrical signals sent to the brain. Humans have two cochleae (one in each ear), and each has only about 16,000 hair cells.[/QUOTE] [url]http://www.livescience.com/57952-scientists-grow-hair-cells.html[/url]

This is awesome. Imagine if we are able to treat other conditions caused by cell death in the future like this

Quick, ask Brian Johnson if he wants to test them out!

Essentially, you could go into an outpatient hospital and receive needle injection into the cochlea and eventually be cured.

Honestly, I'm not really surprised that this can be done. Can't wait for the future of medicine honestly. Stem cells are wondrous.

Oh my god I need this.

i hope it can fix tinnitus, since its a symptom of hearing loss

All of the men on my dad's side of the family have hearing issues. I already have tinnitus and am destined to have shitty hearing later on I hope this treatment progresses smoothly.

I also have a ringing in my ears, it was SUPER distracting, but after 2 years of tinnitus, I'm desensitized. I cannot wait until this makes its way onto the market. The best my doctors did thus far was put me on a tinnitus INCREASING medicine, which got me used to the louder ringing, and so when I went off of the medicine the ringing felt much better/less noticeable than it originally was.

modern medicine is amazing

I was expecting them to isolate the genes from a zebra fish since they're the only known animals that can regenerate hair cells

Hopefully the drug will be well developed before I finally get tinnitus after listening loud music through my headphones for years. Mistakes into miracles.

This is a surprise, since when I suffered hearing damage I read that those cells do not regenerate. This would be for extreme cases though, not like mine, which while very annoying, is livable.

This will probably be able to cure all forms of deafness that haven't resulted from direct cochlear destruction or denervation.

Stem cell tech is more impressive than ever. I just hope it's applicable to humans without much issue, and that it won't be banned because of ethics issues.

Ahhh, the wonders of modern medicine. I always enjoy hearing what they're cooking up these days.

Biotechnology win again

[QUOTE=Grandzeit;51957821]Stem cell tech is more impressive than ever. I just hope it's applicable to humans without much issue, and that it won't be banned because of ethics issues.[/QUOTE] Puts those unborn children to work! No mooches in my country!

Hearing loss and blindness are two of my greatest fears, and I hope I'll at least not have to worry about one of those in the future.

i like loud rock music and this is near and dear to me. go science

Holy fuck a literal cure for deafness? That will be fucking awesome for construction and factory workers "Yeah I had to go to my doc recently, get a hearing injection because those fucking excavators/assembly lines and shit did a real number on my ears"

[QUOTE=AJ10017;51956089]i hope it can fix tinnitus, since its a symptom of hearing loss[/QUOTE] I would reach nirvana if that happens.

I wonder how we're going to help people who are blind/deaf because of a deeper problem, such as their brain simply being unable to actually process sight and sound. [editline]16th March 2017[/editline] I hope we have an anti-cure I'm a little sick of my hearing being TOO good tbh /s