I read somewhere that one day there could be cure for hearing loss. How can they cure damage to the hearing nerves?

The Hearing Restoration Project‘s (HRP) research is showing great potential for the regeneration of damaged hearing nerves called hair cells.  This research may one day make hearing loss a thing of the past!

While working on another project one of the HRP researcher stumbled across an unexpected finding. While studying drugs that damage the hearing nerves, a scientist needed to permanently damage a chicken’s hair cells. They administered the drug and were successful, the haircells were lost.  Several days later almost all of the hair cells returned. They did not believe the results and repeated the experiment several times with the same results concluding that chickens can regenerate inner ear hair cells.  They continued this new research and we now know that all vertebrate animals except for one, mammals, including humans, spontaneously regenerate hair cells.

Next the researchers experimented with drugs to see if they could stimulate regrowth of hair cells.  They were successful with mice, partially restoring hearing following the administration of drug that inadvertently allowed the supporting cells in the inner ear to regenerate hair cells.  While there is much work still to do, there is a strong belief that one day this will lead to a cure for nerve hearing loss in humans. 

In the meantime, you should still to take good care of your hearing.  Eat right, exercise and have a baseline hearing evaluation.  

Life sounds great!  Enjoy every moment!

Jane Kukula, AuD & Ashley Spisak, AuD

8897 Mentor Ave

Mentor, Ohio 44060

440-205-8848

Fax: 440-205-9818

http://aacHEAR.org