The New Science for Treating Hearing Loss

Steve Scher
04/24/2008 at 10:00 a.m.

Hearing loss is the most common human disability. It affects one out of every ten people. Once you lose your hearing it doesn't come back. But scientists are trying to change that. What experiments are currently underway? Is it possible to regenerate lost hair cells in the inner ear? Is tinnitus a harbinger of hearing loss? Will there be a cure for hearing loss in your lifetime? And what causes hearing loss? Is some hearing loss genetic?

Guests:
Jay Rubinstein, M.D., Ph.D., is Professor of Otolaryngology and Director of the University of Washington's Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research Center.
Valerie Street, Ph.D. Research Associate Professor, Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. She is currently studying what role genetics plays in hearing loss.
Jennifer Stone, Ph.D, Research Associate Professor, Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, UW. Affiliate, Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research Center. She is also a member of the Graduate Program in Neurobiology and Behavior at the UW. Her lab examines the cellular and molecular mechanisms guiding embryonic and post–embryonic production of sensory hair cells in birds and mammals.
Bob Beers has a history of hearing loss dating back to 1976, and used hearing aids for assistance. In April he got a cochlear implant in his left ear.
Richard Reed is musician, writer and lecturer. He lived for 35 years with normal hearing, but lost his hearing as a result of a reaction to ototoxic antibiotics.