Deaf animals hear with human stem cells

Flame Health Hearing Care are intrigued to hear that scientists from the University of Sheffield have restored hearing to deaf gerbils using human embryonic stem cells in an advance that could eventually help people with an intractable form of deafness caused by nerve damage.
The procedure does need further animal research to assess safety and long-term effectiveness but researchers said the experiment was an important proof of concept, marking a further advance in the growing field of regenerative medicine.
Marcelo Rivolta who led the research, said the first patients could receive cell therapy for hearing loss in clinical trials in "a few years".