Roughly 48 million Americans struggle with some form of hearing loss. Unfortunately, as we age, hearing loss becomes more prevalent because the hair cells that allow us to hear begin to die off. Hearing loss can lead to “tinnitus, a feeling of isolation, and has even been closely connected to dementia.” Researchers out of MIT have found a treatment that reverses hearing loss. They are using a “new kind of regenerative therapy to repair the tiny hair cells that allow us to hear.” The treatment involves placing progenitor cells, cells that are descendants of stem cells, into the inner ear to then “create the tiny hair cells that our hearing relies on.” The studies have had positive results in reversing hearing loss and a 124 person trial is expected to take place to gain more clarity on the treatment.
https://bgr.com/science/mit-scientists-claim-they-can-reverse-hearing-loss-with-a-2-hour-treatment/