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Quo vadis, hair cell regeneration?

Nature Neuroscience volume 12, pages 679–685 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Hearing loss is a global health problem with profound socioeconomic impact. We contend that acquired hearing loss is mainly a modern disorder caused by man-made noise and modern drugs, among other causes. These factors, combined with increasing lifespan, have exposed a deficit in cochlear self-regeneration that was irrelevant for most of mammalian evolution. Nevertheless, the mammalian cochlea has evolved from phylogenetically older structures, which do have the capacity for self-repair. Moreover, nonmammalian vertebrates can regenerate auditory hair cells that restore sensory function. We will offer a critical perspective on recent advances in stem cell biology, gene therapy, cell cycle regulation and pharmacotherapeutics to define and validate regenerative medical interventions for mammalian hair cell loss. Although these advances are promising, we are only beginning to fully appreciate the complexity of the many challenges that lie ahead.

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Figure 1: Conceptual drawings of the normal, damaged and repaired organ of Corti.
Figure 2: Proliferation and hair cell differentiation from supporting cells.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge support by the US National Institutes of Health (DC008595 to J.V.B. and DC06167 to S.H.), the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience (J.V.B. and S.H.) and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (RC1-00119 to S.H.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology, Oregon Hearing Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA

    John V Brigande

  2. Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA

    Stefan Heller

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  1. John V Brigande
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  2. Stefan Heller
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Correspondence to Stefan Heller.

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Brigande, J., Heller, S. Quo vadis, hair cell regeneration?. Nat Neurosci 12, 679–685 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.2311

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