Treating Combat Hearing Loss with Atoh1 Gene Therapy.

摘要

The goal of the project is to test experimental therapies for hearing loss in transgenic mouse models. We have developed molecular methods to identify sensory hair cells in the inner ear, including two different validated genetic profiles of sensory hair cells. We have generated and derived genetically modified mice to serve as models for treating hearing loss with gene therapy. We have shown that five such models are not suitable for our studies, but we have genetically engineered two new mouse lines line and re-derived a third line from our collaborators. We have also generated data to determine the genetic differences in supporting cells of the cochlea at two different ages, and to determine the response of these cells to pharmacological inhibitors that may promote hair cell regeneration.