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A human induced pluripotent stem cell-based modular platform to challenge sensorineural hearing loss
Journal article   Open access

A human induced pluripotent stem cell-based modular platform to challenge sensorineural hearing loss

Azel Zine, Yassine Messat and Bernd Fritzsch
Stem cells (Dayton, Ohio), Vol.39(6), pp.697-706
01/31/2021
DOI: 10.1002/stem.3346
PMCID: PMC8359331
PMID: 33522002
url
https://doi.org/10.1002/stem.3346View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

The sense of hearing depends on a specialized sensory organ in the inner ear, called the cochlea, which contains the auditory hair cells (HCs). Noise trauma, infections, genetic factors, side effects of ototoxic drugs (ie, some antibiotics and chemotherapeutics), or simply aging lead to the loss of HCs and their associated primary neurons. This results in irreversible sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) as in mammals, including humans; the inner ear lacks the capacity to regenerate HCs and spiral ganglion neurons. SNHL is a major global health problem affecting millions of people worldwide and provides a growing concern in the aging population. To date, treatment options are limited to hearing aids and cochlear implants. A major bottleneck for development of new therapies for SNHL is associated to the lack of human otic cell bioassays. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) can be induced in two-dimensional and three-dimensional otic cells in vitro models that can generate inner ear progenitors and sensory HCs and could be a promising preclinical platform from which to work toward restoring SNHL. We review the potential applications of hiPSCs in the various biological approaches, including disease modeling, bioengineering, drug testing, and autologous stem cell based-cell therapy, that offer opportunities to understand the pathogenic mechanisms of SNHL and identify novel therapeutic strategies.
Bioengineering sensorineural hearing loss iPSCs drug testing differentiation cell therapy organoids otic cell models

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