Title:Regenerative Therapy Approaches and Encountered Problems in Sensorineural
Hearing Loss
Volume: 18
Issue: 2
Author(s): Kübra Kelleci*Eda Golebetmaz
Affiliation:
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Chemistry and Metallurgy, Yildiz Technical University, Esenler, Istanbul,
Turkey
- Department of Medical Services and Techniques, Vocational School, Beykoz University, 34805, Istanbul, Turkey
Keywords:
Hair cell, iPSC, regeneration, hearing loss, stem cell transplantation, gene therapy, epigenetic.
Abstract:
Hearing loss is one of the most important public health matters worldwide, severely affecting
people's social, psychological, and cognitive development.
The perception of sound, movement, and balance in vertebrates depends on a special sensory organ called
the cochlea, which contains hair cells and supporting cells in the inner ear. Genetic factors, epigenetics,
the use of ototoxic drugs (some antibiotics and chemotherapeutics), noise, infections, or even aging can
cause loss of hair cells and their related primary neurons, leading to sensorineural hearing loss. Although
a sensorineural hearing loss, also known as permanent hearing loss, is treated with hearing aids and cochlear
implants, treatment methods are limited. Since even the best implant cannot exhibit the characteristics
of the original ear, the permanent sensory deficit will be permanent.
For this reason, it has become important to develop regenerative treatment methods to regenerate and
replace lost or damaged hair cells and neurons. Developments in stem cell technology have led to promising
studies in regenerating damaged/lost hair cells or neurons with endogenous or exogenous cell-based
therapies. Epigenetic mechanisms can turn hearing-related genes on and off and determine which proteins
to copy. In addition, due to gene silencing, gene replacement, and CRISPR/CAS9 technology, gene therapy
methods have accelerated, and studies have been carried out to treat dominant and recessive mutations
that cause genetic-induced hearing loss or increase hair cell regeneration.
In this paper, potential gene therapy and stem cell applications in the acquisition of cochlear function,
which causes sensorineural hearing loss, and the difficulties encountered in these applications are compiled
from a bioengineering perspective.