HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES

A research team led by Stefan Heller, a principal investigator at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary's Eaton-Peabody Laboratory and assistant professor at the Department of Otology and Laryngology at Harvard Medical School, has discovered a new population of stem cells that reside in the inner ear of adult mice. Huawei Li, a postdoctoral associate of the laboratory, found that these cells give rise to new hair cells in the culture dish, as well as after transplantation into embryonic inner ears of laboratory animals. The combination of these two discoveries could eventually lead to new hope for some people who suffer from hearing loss.

"The generation of new hair cells from a renewable source is the first step towards the development of new treatment options for human deafness," Heller said. "Our immediate future goal is to test whether stem cell-derived hair cells can functionally restore hearing in deaf animals. Ultimately, working in conjunction with Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary clinicians, we aim to develop therapeutic applications for stem cell-based therapy for inner ear disorders."