Stem Cell-Based Hair Cell Regeneration and Therapy in the Inner Ear

Jieyu Qi, Wenjuan Huang, Yicheng Lu, Xuehan Yang, Yinyi Zhou, Tian Chen, Xiaohan Wang, Yafeng Yu*, Jia Qiang Sun*, Renjie Chai*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Hearing loss has become increasingly prevalent and causes considerable disability, thus gravely burdening the global economy. Irreversible loss of hair cells is a main cause of sensorineural hearing loss, and currently, the only relatively effective clinical treatments are limited to digital hearing equipment like cochlear implants and hearing aids, but these are of limited benefit in patients. It is therefore urgent to understand the mechanisms of damage repair in order to develop new neuroprotective strategies. At present, how to promote the regeneration of functional hair cells is a key scientific question in the field of hearing research. Multiple signaling pathways and transcriptional factors trigger the activation of hair cell progenitors and ensure the maturation of newborn hair cells, and in this article, we first review the principal mechanisms underlying hair cell reproduction. We then further discuss therapeutic strategies involving the co-regulation of multiple signaling pathways in order to induce effective functional hair cell regeneration after degeneration, and we summarize current achievements in hair cell regeneration. Lastly, we discuss potential future approaches, such as small molecule drugs and gene therapy, which might be applied for regenerating functional hair cells in the clinic.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)113-126
Number of pages14
JournalNeuroscience Bulletin
Volume40
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2024
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Cochlea
  • Hair cell regeneration
  • Hearing loss
  • Stem cell

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