Can stem cells restore the ability to hear?

In a ray of hope for patients with hearing impairment, scientists have found that spiral ganglion stem cells present in the inner ear can be used to restore hearing ability. Spiral ganglion cells are

Editorial Team | Published: June 23, 2014 12:44 pm

In a ray of hope for patients with hearing impairment, scientists have found that spiral ganglion stem cells present in the inner ear can be used to restore hearing ability. Spiral ganglion cells are essential for hearing and their irreversible degeneration in the inner ear is common in most types of hearing loss. Adult spiral ganglion cells are not able to regenerate. Now, new evidence in a mouse model shows that spiral ganglion stem cells are capable of self-renewal and can be grown and induced to differentiate into mature spiral ganglion cells as well as neurons and glial cells.

‘These findings are particularly interesting as they show that spiral ganglion stem cells can be propagated in-vitro,’ said BioResearch Open Access Editor Jane Taylor from University of Edinburgh, Scotland. ‘These cells are normally poorly regenerated in the mammalian ear,’ Taylor added. The researchers concluded that the self-renewing properties demonstrated by spiral ganglion stem cells make them a promising source of replacement cells for therapies designed to regenerate the neural structures of the inner ear. (Read: Stem cell treatment — a boon for burn victims)

The findings appeared in the journal BioResearch Open Access.

What is stem cell therapy?

Stem cells are derived from human umbilical cord or bone marrow. Also called the ‘basic cells’ of our body they have the power to mature into any type of tissue cell in the body. Stem cell therapy is based on the principle that stem cells migrate to the site of the injury and transform themselves to form new tissue cells that can replace the damaged ones. They have the capacity to multiply and renew themselves almost indefinitely and can form mature nerve cells, muscle cells and blood cells. In this therapy they are taken out of the body, and kept under artificial conditions (also called as induction of the stem cells) where they mature into the type of cells that are required to heal a particular part of the body.

There are two types of treatments:

Autologous stem cell therapy: This method uses the patient’s own stem cells (adult stem cells) which are obtained from the blood, bone marrow etc.

Allogenic stem cell therapy: This therapy uses donated stem cells. The disadvantage in this therapy is that in a number of cases these donor stem cells may be rejected. This method of stem cell therapy has not yet been legalised in India.

How is it done?

The entire procedure can be broken down into three steps: bone marrow collection, laboratory processing and stem cell implantation (bone marrow stem cell or cord derived stem cell). Your doctor may administer a ‘stem cell stimulant’ medication to enhance the transplantation process.

Bone marrow collection: in this process a sample from the hip or thigh region is taken. The procedure takes about 20 to 30 minutes, and is done on an in-patient basis.

Laboratory processing: Once the sample is taken, it is sent to the laboratory for testing. First the stem cells are separated from blood and plasma, the numbers of stem cells present are counted and their vitality is checked.

Stem cell implantation: In this step, the doctor will administer the harvested stem cells to the patient. The first dose is either intrathecal (injected directly into the damaged area or cerebrospinal fluid) or intradermal (injected into the skin). After a few weeks, the patient will be given a second round of harvested stem cells.

The patient usually will notice improvement within 8 weeks to 1 year depending on the severity of the condition. (Read: Stem cell therapy – what you ought to know)

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Published: June 23, 2014 12:44 pm

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