New hope for hearing loss

Here’s one of the best reasons ever to support stem cell research.

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, recently

published research findings in Developmental Neuroscience which suggest new

ways of treating hearing loss. These researchers have isolated "cochlear stem

cells" located in the inner ear and already primed for development into

ear-related tissue due to their proximity to the ear and expression of certain

genes necessary for the development of hearing.

The team’s research is a major step in devising a therapy to reverse

permanent hearing loss because it may lead to the activation of cochlear stem

cells in the inner ear to regenerate new hair cells.

As a sufferer of

sensorineural hearing loss myself, this is very encouraging news. For people

that don’t know about hearing loss, it can have significant effects on a persons

ability for social interaction, which is why I don’t party much.

Millions of people worldwide suffer from this type of hearing loss, and with the blasting of Ipods in young ears becoming a fixture of society, the problem will only get worse