University of Rochester researchers have found a way to restore hearing after hearing loss, according to a study published in the US. magazine Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience.
Expression of an active growth gene called ERBB2 can trigger the growth of new hair cells (auditory system receptors) in the mammalian inner ear.
Using single-cell RNA sequencing in mice, the researchers compared cells with the overactive growth gene to similar cells that did not. They found that ERBB2 promoted stem cell development by initiating the expression of several proteins. This promoted the regeneration of hair cells.
This discovery will help develop strategies for treating hearing loss in humans in the future. The authors plan to further examine this phenomenon from a mechanistic perspective.