This research shows that it is possible to design gene therapies for the ear that are carefully targeted at supporting cells, an essential first step in applying targeted gene therapies to treat hearing loss in humans.
Can a Simple Cost-Saving Method Improve Hearing Healthcare?
One cost assessment method that has been increasingly used in medical literature is called “time-driven activity-based costing.” TDABC allows for a detailed step-by-step analysis of a process and its costs, which helps identify opportunities for reducing unnecessary costs and streamlining the process.
Study Maps Brain’s Ability to Comprehend Sound
New research reveals the unique patterns of gene expression in specific neurons in the brain that process the signals of sound and enable communication.
Balance in Older Mice Relies on Specific Brain Cells
This study suggests that this class of neurons may compensate for age-related loss of vestibular function to maintain balance performance in older animals.
The Promise of Precision Medicine Through a Microneedle
Future treatments for hearing loss—including gene therapy—could come to rely on a tiny 3D-printed microneedle.
Analysis of Six Gene Delivery Methods in the Mouse Model
By understanding which AAV serotype works best for delivering genetic instructions to specific brain cells and sharing this information in an open-access journal, researchers can design better experiments and potentially develop treatments for brain-related conditions.
The Wonderful World of Hearing
I’d like to share four important breakthroughs in hearing research over the past year, and how each also connects back to Hearing Health Foundation, to varying degrees. These major advances offer hope for how we might improve or restore hearing and, by extension, bring a bit more of that wonderful world into everyone’s lives.
Study Identifies Gene Regulators Behind Hearing Regeneration
Their experiments revealed a class of DNA control elements known as “enhancers” that, after injury, amplify the production of a protein called ATOH1, which in turn induces a suite of genes required to make sensory cells of the inner ear.
Beyond Words: The Impact of Cognitive Load on Children’s Sentence Comprehension
These findings support the idea that comprehension challenges can stem from cognitive limitations besides language structure. For educators and clinicians, this suggests that sentence comprehension measures can provide insights into children’s cognitive strengths and areas that need support.
Genetic Reprogramming Regenerates Lost Hair Cells in the Mature Mouse Inner Ear
Our results suggest that mature cochlear supporting cells can be reprogrammed into sensory hair cells, providing a possible target for hair cell regeneration in mammals.