CLEVELAND, April 9 U.S. researchers have isolated cochlear stem cells located in the inner ear, primed for development into ear-related tissue to treat hearing loss.The research in the journal Developmental Neuroscience is a major step in devising a therapy to reverse permanent hearing loss. It may lead to the activation of cochlear stem cells in the inner ear to regenerate new hair cells.Loud noise, certain cancer drugs or genetic factors can cause hearing loss in humans due to loss or faulty development of the sensory "microphones," or hair cells, inside the ear. Lost hair cells are not replaced, and people exposed to these conditions face permanent hearing loss. The discovery may aid in developing strategies for cell replacement, or transplanting these cochlear stem cells into the adult cochlea, according to study leaders Dr. Robert Miller and Dr. Kumar Alagramam, both of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.Copyright 2007 by UPI
