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Using an adenovirus vector to deliver a gene called math1 to the cochlear epithelial cells of Guinea Pigs, researchers have caused the 'transdifferentiation' of some of these cells into so-called auditory hair cells. AHCs are the cells in the cochlea that actually transduce the sound signal to a nerve signal, and damage to such cells are major cause of deafness (the 'hairs' are actually cilia, BTW).

Further, once the transdifferentiation to hair cells occurred, neurons grew towards some of the hair cells, just as would happen in normal development, implying that the transdifferentiated cells are releasing the appropriate axon guidance proteins. It is not yet clear is these hair cells can actually transmit auditory signals as normal AHCs do.

This research raises the possibility that cochlear-hair-cell damage related hearing loss in humans can be treated with gene therapy. The paper will be published within the next few days in The Journal of Neuroscience. For now, you can always read the press release from ScienceDaily.

Patrick