Hearing loss is usually irreversible because there’s no way to grow back the necessary outer and inner ear sensory cells once they’ve been killed off. But we may have started on the path to change, thanks to new research in mice.
Scientists have discovered a single master gene that’s able to regulate whether ear hair cells into the outer or inner types required to restore hearing. That’s a significant step forward in being able to actually carry this out in the lab.
The master gene is called TBX2. Through experiments on mice, the team found that when it’s expressed, ear hair cells become inner hair cells; when it’s blocked, ear hair cells become outer hair cells. It’s a crucial toggle switch.
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