Inner Ear Hair Cell Regeneration — Maybe We Can Know More

Dear members of Tinnitus Talk,

As we are all hoping that a cure for (subjective) tinnitus will come in the near future, I created this thread to try to collect the recent discoveries in the regeneration of the inner ear. Probably with stem cell technology.

At the moment no one knows if tinnitus, or at least the cases related to inner ear damage, is a reversible process in the sense that if the inner ear could be totally repaired then the tinnitus could/would resolve. I have found no information on the internet on this discussion besides from the British Tinnitus Association finding it 'worth a special mention' (http://www.tinnitus.org.uk/the-top-ten-tinnitus-research-uncertainties).

On the regeneration of the inner ear:

• http://online.qmags.com/HH0413#pg34&mode2

The Hearing Restoration Project (HRP) has regenerated Inner Hair Cells (IHC) in mice and thinks that restoration of hearing is anachievable target within 10 years.​

• http://news.medicine.iu.edu/releases/2013/07/hashino-stem-cells-inner-ear.shtml

Researchers from Indianapolis University have coaxed stem cells (embryotic stem cells?)​

• http://oto.sagepub.com/content/149/2_suppl/P235.3.short

Intravenous transplantation of UCB-MSCs (umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells) can enhance hearing thresholds, and regenerate inner ear hair cells and spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs).​

• http://www.corcell.com/blog/could-cord-blood-stem-cells-offer-a-cure-for-deafness/#.UinsRcZBIpl

Stephanie Connor improves hearing after stem cell treatment.​

• http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0896627312009531

Cochlear Hair Cell Regeneration and Recovery of Hearing after Acoustic Trauma with the γ-secretase inhibitor codenamed LY41175.​

​

Feel free to provide us with your discoveries. The hope for a treatment is often what relieves me the most from my tinnitus. The chronic part is the hard part. I am sure many people feel the same way.

 

I have reliable information that Chloe Sohl who was treated by RNL Bio for hearing loss, also suffered from tinnitus. Both conditions were improved significantly in her case. She was treated using her own cultured stem cells. The youtube link can be found in my journal. There is no need to wait ten years for a cure.

If this forum requires proof that she also suffered from tinnitus (which is not described in the published RNL video on youtube), I can probably find a way to contact her or her parents (who are both doctors) via my "back office channels". But again, I have reliable information that this is the case...

There are also two MS patients who have cured of tinnitus (as a secondary symptom) using stem cells.

 

How have your symptoms been progressing since your treatment @attheedgeofscience?

 

Soon amputees won't have to worry about living their days without a limb; blindness would soon be a thing of the past. Soon we won't have doctors spitting those loathsome words "get used to it." Stem cell research is the next step in human evolution. Or re-evolution.

 

As soon as it's de-stigmatized in the west, anyway.

 

If still sane, We need to dream on....

 

I am having a real time understanding the current state of the stem cell technology for restoring IHC.

Some scientists estimate 30-50 years, some say it's allready happening.

Is this because of the different stem cell types used?In the, in this forum aforementioned SA-article (http://www.scientificamerican.com/a...-on-biological-ways-to-restore-hearing&page=8, direct linkt to page 8), the researcher uses three types of stem cells: embryotic, induced pluripotent and somatic stem cells - none of which are umbilical/cord blood stem cells.

Is the use of cord blood stem cells a 'new thing' compared to the coaxing-requiring stem cell types?

And yes @Mahdi, we need to stay sane, but this is an exciting progress to follow!

 

Does anybody know about that RNL Bio it look like they have much expirince in stemcel,but also legal problems.

 

We are all waiting in excitement!

 

Some older (2012) interesting stuff from the same Korean guys :
New Route for Stem Cell Transplantation into the Cochlea

http://oto.sagepub.com/content/147/2_suppl/P216.1.abstract

 

I am not skilled enough to locate the actual article. It sounds interesting.

http://phys.org/wire-news/140433911...neration-a-look-from-the-past-to-the-fut.html

Inner ear hair cell regeneration: A look from the past to the future
September 12th, 2013
Since Moffat and Ramsden for the first time discovered the possibility of the auditory system in humans in 1977, over the last two decades, great progress has been made in physiopathological research on neurosensory hearing loss. Jørgensen and Mathiesen were the first authors to note the capacity for regeneration of the normal vestibular epithelium in adult Australian parrots. Later, Roberson et al studied the normal vestibular epithelium of 12-day-old white Leghorn chicks using tritiated thymidine and bromodeoxyuridine. Francisco Santaolalla and colleagues from Basurto University Hospital, Spain review literatures on theory and clinical application of inner ear sensory hair cell regeneration.

This review, published in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 8, No. 24, 2013), the use of stem cells, gene therapy and neurotrophic factors has important role in regeneration of inner ear hair cells. Cochlear gene therapy has been successfully used in the treatment of neurosensory hearing loss and other inner ear disorders. Greatest progress will be achieved, in the near future, in the regeneration of hair cells after use of atonal homolog 1 gene delivered by viral vectors and this may become the best clinical treatment method of certain types of hearing loss.

 

I have attached the article as a PDF in this message.

 

Thank you very much, Erlend.

 

Very interesting Erlend.
Thank you for taking the time to put this together...

 

Thank you very much Erlend.

There are reasons for hope in this article.

 

Thank you for this, was just about to post a thread on all the recent findings on this topic.

 

In relation to Inner ear hair cell regeneration specifically

Targeted Delivery Methods:

- Nanotechnology
Using nano drug delivery to the inner ear. I believe this has been done recently (I will try and find the article)

- Gene Therapy (Viral vector)

Payloads

- Notch Inhibitor (e.g. A recent study using LY411575 )
- Stem cell

Feel free to add to this or critique.

 

Notch signalling pathway inhibitor

Drug enables deafened mice to hear again

 

Here is a lecture done in 2011 - Touches on hair cell regeneration.

Hearing Restoration Summit: Andy Groves, Ph.D....

 

The Genetics of Hair Cell Development and Regeneration

Andrew K. Groves,1,2 Kaidi D. Zhang,3 and Donna M. Fekete3,4 /
(Volume publication date July 2013)

Sensory hair cells are exquisitely sensitive vertebrate mechanoreceptors that mediate the senses of hearing and balance. Understanding the factors that regulate the development of these cells is important, not only to increase our understanding of ear development and its functional physiology but also to shed light on how these cells may be replaced therapeutically. In this review, we describe the signals and molecular mechanisms that initiate hair cell development in vertebrates, with particular emphasis on the transcription factor Atoh1, which is both necessary and sufficient for hair cell development. We then discuss recent findings on how microRNAs may modulate the formation and maturation of hair cells. Last, we review recent work on how hair cells are regenerated in many vertebrate groups and the factors that conspire to prevent this regeneration in mammals.

http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-neuro-062012-170309

Excellent research, I have discovered Andrew K. Groves is set on the "10 year" rule / goal we come across a lot in this field. Makes we wonder why is there a correlation of this phrase from scientists around the world (I've come across it in the UK as well). But good news nonetheless.

 

@NikoD,

Thanks for sharing

 

Brief describtions of "what is being done" from each collaborators of Hearing Restoration Project..

Hearing Restoration Project: A promise to...

http://hearinghealthfoundation.org/cure_for_tinnitus

 

Youtube is useful to follow the progression for a cure, by watching interviews of the scientists.. They still try to better understand how the hair cells are generated in the embryonic phase and what are the mecanisms behind the regeneration of cochlea in non-mammals. The more we clarify these processes the more we get closer to a cure for both hearing loss and tinnitus.

this site is useful to learn more : http://hearinghealthfoundation.org/cure_for_tinnitus

 

cmurem, thank you for the link, very interesting. I see mt ENT this week, I will have questions for him.

He is really dedicated to his patience. He will sit down and explain any T questions the best he can, instead of just saying sorry there is nothing I can do no need to come back.

He does like the idea when I come to him, that I am prepared with questions and let him know the things that I find here. He was somewhat surprised what I have learned here, by the questions I ask. I told him this group helps me keep my sanity....

 

Excellent . Thanks for posting that clip, I don't think I have come across it. It would be nice to know if Dr Andrew K. Groves has made any progress, with the time that has elapsed from when the conference was done (2011) till now, one would believe there has been some major discoveries.

Maybe a bit ambitions but perhaps we should attempt and embrace 'kickstarter' or a crowd funding platform to incentivize cochlear research. Relevant to all as hearing degenerates with old age and hundreds of millions are affected right now with some form of hearing loss. The majority of which is noise induced.

 

The 10 Year plan to understand some of the blocks in place preventing inner hair cells from regenerating by themselves.

 

I like HHR foundations approach to hearing loss and tinnitus. Make it sexy as the stigma surrounding it seems to be - "it only occurs at old age". Obviously not the case any more as it seems to be happening more and more at a younger age (Like many on this forum!).

Looks like they had a little do a few months ago. No doubt some senior and top member from the industry were probably attending. I hope they see eye to eye with repairing / regeneration the same way we do.

Cyndi Lauper Performs to Benefit Hearing...

HHF Executive Director, Andrea Boidman,...

 

http://www.cellcare.com.au/latest-research/another-research-item

Human testing on restoring hearing with cord blood stem cells!

...and http://www.multivu.com/mnr/53686-co...-hermann-fda-approved-stem-cells-hearing-loss

Edit: Apparently this is old news (2012) - it still belongs here, though.

Edit 2: Suspended. http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01343394?term=NCT01343394&rank=1

 

What does that mean? That they're not allowed to keep working on it or what?

 

Current IRB stipulations require more detailed updates. Not related to current patient safety or non-compliance issues.

I suppose IRB is some kind of review board that accepts the trials. This trial, apparently, needs more 'details'. What these details are, we don't know (besides from what's said above), but I suspect human trials need either a ton of prior testing on animals or a very good theoretical explanation/documentation of the method.

The can probably continue after these 'detailed updates', but it's growing old. Unfortunaltely.