Many inner ear disorders cannot be adequately treated by systemic drug delivery. A blood-
cochlear barrier exists, similar physiologically to the blood-brain barrier, which limits the …

An estimated 466 million people suffer from hearing loss worldwide. Sensorineural hearing
loss is characterized by degeneration of key structures of the sensory pathway in the …

Sensory hair cells of the inner ear are responsible for translating auditory or vestibular
stimuli into electrical energy that can be perceived by the nervous system. Although hair …

Hearing loss (HL) is the most common and heterogeneous disorder of the sensory system,
with a large morbidity in the worldwide population. Among cells of the acoustic nerve (VIII …

Differentiation of the pluripotent neuroepithelium into neurons and glia is accomplished by
the interaction of growth factors and cell-type restricted transcription factors. One approach …

Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is one of the most prevalent sensory deficits in humans,
and approximately 360 million people worldwide are affected. The current treatment option …

Cochlear implants electrically stimulate spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) in order to provide
speech cues to severe-profoundly deaf patients. In normal hearing cochleae the SGNs …

In vertebrates, perception of sound, motion, and balance is mediated through
mechanosensory hair cells located within the inner ear. In mammals, hair cells are only …

Sensorineural hearing loss and vestibular dysfunction are caused by damage to neurons
and mechanosensitive hair cells, which do not regenerate to any clinically relevant extent in …

In the quest to develop the tools necessary for a cell-based therapy for deafness, a critical
step is to identify a suitable stem cell population. Moreover, the lack of a self-renovating …