HESP Seminar, Michael Hoa (NIH)

Title: Recent Advances in Hair Cell Regeneration

Abstract: 

Hearing loss in humans and mammals is permanent and a major cause of this hearing loss is the loss of sensory hair cells in the cochlea. In contrast, other vertebrates including birds and reptiles are capable of regenerating their sensory hair cells after damage and as a result, hearing loss is not permanent. The pursuit of avenues to restore hearing through regeneration of sensory hair cells in the mammalian cochlea has involved a variety of different approaches. This lecture will provide a broad framework of these explorations, providing a conceptual basis for understanding these approaches, and will discuss some specific examples in each of these areas of investigation.