TWO types of human ear cell have been grown in the lab from fetal stem cells. The initial hope is to use these cells to devise ways to regenerate or repair ear cells and screen for chemicals that cause hearing loss. Further in the future, similar cells might be delivered to damaged ears to restore hearing.
Marcelo Rivolta of the University of Sheffield in the UK and colleagues extracted cochlear stem cells from aborted fetuses, with the consent of the women involved. Such stem cells stop being produced after 11 weeks’ gestation. “That’s why deafness is permanent, because we…
