Research may give way to possible cure for hearing loss

Stem cells taken from mice are suggesting the possible treatment of many types of deafness and hearing loss.

The experiment, done with two types of stem cells, raises the possibility of treating many types of deafness and hearing loss. The research has to do with generating stereocilia, which are cells in the inner ear have hair-like projections. When sound vibrations reach these cells, the vibrations are converted into a signal that can be processed in the brain as sound. But when these hair cells are lost or damaged, they cannot regenerate, resulting in hearing loss.

The researchers hope to generate stereocilia in the millions, which could lead to leaps and bounds on the road to curing deafness for many in the future, according to their report in the May 14 issue of the journal Cell.

"This gives us real hope that there might be some kind of therapy for regenerating hair cells," David Corey, professor of neurobiology at Harvard University, said in a news release from the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Read more about this here.

The Importance of Early Intervention & Follow-ups

While many people are fortunate enough to catch symptoms of their child potentially suffering from a communicative disorder, not all parents know the warning signs. For those who do, screening and diagnosis are just the beginning. There are many steps that must be taken, forms that must be filled, professionals that must be consulted, and treatment that must be sought to ensure that a child receives the best care possible to maximize his/her progress and improvement.

May is Better Speech and Hearing Month, let us take a moment to emphasize the importance of care and awareness for special needs children. The Center for Disease Control estimates that 97% of infants born in the U.S. have had their hearing screened in a newborn nursery. Marcus Gaffney, a health scientist with the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that as many as 46 percent of children who failed the newborn screening test in 2007 did not have documented repeat testing and treatment.

Follow-up exams are essential to the proper treatment and diagnosis of a child; without them, we can’t get the full picture. The New York Times recently posted a great article regarding infant hearing loss and the importance of following-up if your child has irregular results to screening tests. Read more about it here.

The article highlighted that hearing loss is one of the most common congenital disabilities, affecting 2 to 4 of every 1,000 babies. It can be genetic, or it may result from prenatal infection: Of the so-called TORCH infections that can attack a developing fetus (the letters stand for toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus, herpes and “other”), several can damage hearing (Klass, Perri).

If you are concerned about your child's hearing, please get him/her checked out.