Stem cell research cures deafness in gerbils
Deafness UK, the national charity, is a joint funder of the current ground breaking research that has proved that stem cells can actually bring back the hearing of deaf gerbils. It has now issued a warning, however, that only charitable donations can keep this valuable research going and needs continued investment to take this research forward and move towards doing trials on humans.
The research has been taking place at the University of Sheffield in the lab of Dr Marcelo Rivolta, and has shown for the first time ever how stem cells can be used in the cure of deafness in animals. Vivienne Michael is the CE of Deafness Research UK, and she has said that having funded Dr Rivolta’s research for many years the were delighted with the latest findings and that their top recipients of funding were now receiving national recognition.
She added that the findings had highlighted the potential of stem cells in restoring hearing via future therapy and that it was exciting news for everyone. Ms Michael went onto say that we shouldn’t assume that a cure for human deafness is just round the corner, and whilst gerbils were good examples of how these therapies can be applied, there is still much research to be done in the future, and that would cost money.
Deafness Research UK’s Research Development Manager, Dr Aileen Aherne, added: “Despite the caveats, this latest research highlights the huge potential that exists in this field and we are no longer talking about ‘science fiction’ when it comes to the prospect of restoring human hearing but rather ‘science eventually.’ We hope that this will act as a spur to further research into how such treatments may one day be applied to the millions suffering from hearing loss in the UK and worldwide.”
The work of Dr Rivolta and his team focusses on turning human stem cells into the hair-like cells and neurons found in the inner ear – currently there is no way to repair these cells once damaged and the resulting hearing loss is permanent. Related projects continue to receive funding thanks to grants from Deafness Research UK which is specifically funding Dr Rivolta’s work on generating inner ear sensory cells from adult human stem cells.
The charity has recently awarded a third year of funding for a research fellow engaged on this project in Dr Rivolta’s lab, while the charity also funded the lead author on this paper (Dr Wei Chen) for a fellowship award of £126,000 between 2006-2009.
Speaking at Deafness Research UK’s keynote event at the BT Tower in London recently, Dr Rivolta, a Reader in Sensory Stem Cell Biology at the University of Sheffield, explained the difficulties hearing researchers face in sourcing funding, even for the very highest quality work: “Funding research into hearing loss is facing a particularly challenging time in the current economic climate and research into hearing loss does not figure as highly as more high-profile conditions,” explained Dr Rivolta. “We know that as little as £1.50 a person is spent on deafness research compared to £50 a person for cardiovascular disease despite the conditions affecting a similar number of people (1 in 5)”.
“Making grants to hearing research teams continues to be at the heart of what we do and Dr Rivolta’s research shows just how important this is,’ added Aileen Aherne. “Step by step, Marcelo and his colleagues are bringing us closer to radical new cures for deafness.”
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