Context:
This is the first demonstration of hair cell regeneration in an adult mammal. "We're excited about these results because they are a step forward in the biology of regeneration and prove that mammalian hair cells have the capacity to regenerate," Dr. Edge said. "With more research, we think that regeneration of hair cells opens the door to potential therapeutic applications in deafness."
Funding sources: This work was supported by grants
RO1 DC007174, R21 DC010440 and
P30 DC05209 from the National Institute on Deafness and other Communicative Disorders (NIDCD); by the Tillotson Corporation, the Shulsky Foundation, and Robert Boucai; by the Mochida Memorial Foundation for Medical and Pharmaceutical Research; and by Grants for International Activities in Life Sciences and Medicine, Keio University Medical Science Fund.
More:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130109124201.htm