Researchers discover potential cure for noise-inducedhearing loss | Fox News

Researchersdiscoverpo

tential cure for noise-induced hearing loss | Fox News

Noise-induced hearing loss has the potential to be reversed, according to a new study from HarvardMedical School.

Hearing loss affects close to 50 million people in the United States and prolonged exposure to veryloud noises is one of the most common forms of auditory loss. Merchandise like iPods and amplifiedaudio at concerts can lead to damage to the ears that afterwards result in hearing loss. As far moregenerations are exposed to louder technological innovation, much more will have hearingtroubles.Currently, there are no known treatments to restore noise-related hearing loss, which iscaused by the destruction of sensory hair cells in the cochlea - the auditory component of the innerear.

However, in an animal study published in Stem Cell Reports, researchers found that by applying anenzyme-inhibiting drug to the cochlea of deaf newborn mice, they were able to induce supportingcells in the ear to transform into hair cells.

"The finding that newborn hair cells regenerate spontaneously is novel," senior study author Dr.Albert Edge, a professor at Harvard Medical School, said in a press release.

The study results are the first demonstration of hair cell regeneration in an adult mammal and they

hope these findings may someday lead to treatments that could induce hair cell regeneration in thehumans, to treat noise-related hearing loss.

"We're excited about these results because they are a step forward in the biology of regenerationand prove that mammalian hair cells have the capacity to regenerate," Edge said. "With moreresearch, we think that regeneration of hair cells opens the door to potential therapeuticapplications in deafness."