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Hairy Hearing
22 May 2016

Hairy Hearing

What do the antibiotic gentamicin, the rock band The Who and old age have in common? They’re all responsible for hearing loss. Irreparable damage to cells within the ear called inner hair cells (say by a loud rock concert!) prevents sound waves being converted to electrical signals to the brain. This process is managed by hair-like structures on the cells called stereocilia. Growing new hair cells in a dish may allow transplants to restore hearing. Researchers investigated this possibility using mice. Stem cells from mouse ears were grown on a special surface to turn them into progenitors – cells primed to develop into hair cells but needing another nudge. This nudge involved adding support cells of the ear called stromal cells. The result, captured using scanning electron microscopy, was cells with bundles of stereocilia (pictured). Proving this can be done in mice provides hope for future efforts to grow human equivalents.

Written by Lux Fatimathas

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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