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Stem Cells Turn Hearing Back On

Posted by Soulskill on from the i-heard-that dept.

puddingebola sends this excerpt from an article at ScienceNow: "Scientists have enabled deaf gerbils to hear again — with the help of transplanted cells that develop into nerves that can transmit auditory information from the ears to the brain. The advance, reported today in Nature, could be the basis for a therapy to treat various kinds of hearing loss. ... Rivolta and his colleagues knew that during embryonic development, a handful of proteins, including fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 3 and 10, are required for ears to form. So they exposed human embryonic stem cells to FGF3 and FGF10. Multiple types of cells formed, including precursor inner-ear hair cells, but they were also able to identify and isolate the cells beginning to differentiate into the desired spiral ganglion neurons. Then, they implanted the neuron precursor cells into the ears of gerbils with damaged ear neurons and followed the animals for 10 weeks. The function of the neurons was restored.'"

7 of 101 comments (clear)

  1. Those amazing stem cells by Spy+Handler · · Score: 2, Funny

    is there anything they can't do?

  2. Congress will turn a deaf-ear by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Congress will turn a deaf-ear to the pleas of those waiting for stem-cell research.

  3. Deaf gerbils, yes, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Has it been tested on leppards?

    1. Re:Deaf gerbils, yes, but... by Scarletdown · · Score: 3, Funny

      Has it been tested on leppards?

      What's the Rush? This isn't a Fly by Night operation.

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      This space unintentionally left blank.
  4. Can you... by InfiniteBlaze · · Score: 1, Funny

    hear me now?

  5. Damn! by iBod · · Score: 4, Funny

    32 weeks of studying 'Sign Language for Gerbils' - all for nothing.

  6. Re:How about people who can't smell? by onkelonkel · · Score: 3, Funny

    I feel bad about this, but the opening is big enough to drive a semi truck through.

    "I was born without the ability to smell."

    Just don't shower for a few days.

    --
    None of them can see the clouds; The polished wings don't care.