Reprogramming the Inner Ear Can Regrow Hair Cells and Restore Hearing

Reprogramming the Inner Ear Can Regrow Hair Cells and Restore Hearing:

The combined activation of two molecular signals, Myc and Notch1, can trigger regeneration of hair cell-like cells in adults and facilitate hearing recovery, according to a new study (Nat Commun. 10, 5530 [2019]). In lower vertebrates like birds and fish that suffered hearing loss, the remaining cells divide and regrow new hair cells, restoring hearing and vestibular function. Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear sought to test whether that process can be replicated in adults. They found that not only can mature inner ear cells can be induced to divide with this approach, but some of the new cells also developed characteristics of hair cells, including the presence of the transduction channels that carry out the mechanical to electrical conversion and the ability to form connections with auditory neurons, both of which are essential to hearing. Their success revealed that reprogramming is achieved by re-activation of early inner ear developmental genes so that the mature inner ear regains neonatal properties, enabling them to re-divide and regenerate.

Senior study author Zheng-Yi Chen, DPhil, an associate scientist at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and an associate professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Harvard Medical School, said, "The most significant aspect of the current study is the fact that fully mature mammalian inner ear still retains the capacity to divide and regenerate if it is sufficiently reprogrammed, which removes a fundamental barrier that has prevented the inner ear regeneration necessary for hearing restoration."

Published: 12/6/2019 10:24:00 AM