Reversing hearing loss could soon become 'similar to Lasik surgery, where you’re in and out in an hour or two.'
that can reverse hearing loss, without the need of hearing aids or cochlear implants.
By programming special kinds of human cells called progenitor cells, the team discovered a new way to encourage the growth of hair cells inside the cochlea.. They usually don't grow back — but allowing the ear to regenerate them could bring back at least some degree of hearing. In experiments, the team was able to improve trial participants' ability to perceive speech. While that may sound oddly specific, there's a good reason.
"Speech perception is the number one goal for improving hearing and the number one need we hear from patients," said Frequency co-founder and CEO Chris Loose, inThe treatment works by injecting molecules into the inner ear, which then transform existing progenitor cells into other cells that can grow hair cells inside the cochlea.
The approach is also simpler than conventional gene therapies, which rely on the patient's own cells, which first need to the reprogrammed in a lab.
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