Israeli Study Shares Hope in Reversing Hearing Loss

Hearing is an underrated sense. Most people presume they rely heavily on their senses of sight, smell, and touch to maneuver through the world. But the truth is, that hearing is vitally important to the lives of most living things, from birds to humans. 

Hearing loss, then, can be devastating. At this time, the Jerusalem Post reported, there is currently no way to reverse the process. It can be mitigated by the use of hearing aids or cochlear implants, but it is essentially irreversible. 

Now, this may longer not be the case. A group of Israeli scientists from Tel Aviv University have published research in Science Advances showing that they have discovered the biological mechanism for regenerating the small sensory hair cells in the human ear — the very hairs that are responsible for the sense of hearing.

Hearing Loss Caused by Damage to Hairs in the Cochlea
Hearing loss is most often caused by damage to small hair cells found in the cochlea, according to JPost. These cells detect sound and convert those sounds into electric signals that are then sent to the brain. In much of the animal world, those cells can be regenerated. But for some reason, in mammals, once they are damaged they remain damaged. 

The team, however, discovered a rare subset of supporting cells called transdifferentiating Deiters’ cells (tDCs) that are able to transform from supporting cells into hair cells. These could potentially pave the way for hair cell regeneration, and thus, the ability to reverse hearing loss. The theoretical therapy would involve an injection into the inner ear, done by a surgeon. 

The First Step
Essentially, what has been discovered by the Israeli team of researchers is the first step in the long road towards reversing hearing loss reported The Jewish Chronicle.

Professor Karen Avraham, dean of the Gray Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at Tel Aviv University,  Dumont Chair for Research of Hearing Disorders, and the study lead told The Jewish Chronicle, “Our study shows that even in tissues long considered incapable of regeneration, such as the cochlea of the inner ear, there is in fact a hidden regenerative capacity, though it is very limited and appears only in a rare subpopulation of cells….This is a first but significant step toward a deeper understanding of regeneration in the auditory system and in neural systems in general.” 

The road to medical treatments is long and requires an incredible amount of patience and fortitude. One discovery leads to another, which leads to another, until finally a medicine or treatment emerges. Though the study in Science Advances does not showcase an actual cure for hearing loss, it is the first, very important step towards that goal.