Breakthrough in Inner-Ear Cell Regeneration Offers Hope for Hearing Loss

A team led by Prof. Karen Avraham at Tel Aviv University’s Gray Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences identified a rare subpopulation of cochlear supporting cells—termed transdifferentiating Deiters’ cells (tDCs)—that can convert into sensory hair cells when the Notch signaling pathway is inhibited. Using live-tissue imaging, single-cell multi-omics, 3D computational imaging and deep sequencing, the researchers demonstrated that only this distinct group enters a transitional state and begins hair-cell formation. The findings were published in *Science Advances* under the title “Live imaging and multimodal profiling reveal transdifferentiation of a cochlear supporting cell subpopulation upon Notch inhibition.”

The Jerusalem Post

In mammals, damage to cochlear hair cells causes permanent sensorineural hearing loss because these cells do not naturally regenerate. Current interventions—hearing aids, cochlear implants and a limited gene-therapy program approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration—only compensate for loss. The TAU study provides the first proof-of-principle that a hidden regenerative capacity exists in the adult inner ear, suggesting a pathway toward biological treatments that could restore hearing rather than merely assist it.

The Jerusalem Post

Prof. Avraham emphasized that the team’s work builds on a decade of research into hair-cell regeneration and coincides with recent FDA approval of gene therapy for rare hearing disorders. She noted that 57 hearing-loss genes have been identified in Israel out of 224 known worldwide, underscoring the genetic complexity that hampers drug development. Avraham warned that regulatory hurdles and high costs remain major obstacles, given the rarity of many hereditary forms. She expressed cautious optimism that, with deeper mechanistic insight, future strategies could expand the regenerative ability of additional cochlear cells, potentially enabling early-life interventions before permanent loss occurs.

The Jerusalem Post

• “They probably won’t be replaced completely by regenerated hair cells.” — Prof. Karen Avraham

The Jerusalem Post

• “We’ve identified 57 such genes in Israel out of the 224 in the world that are involved in hearing loss,” — Prof. Karen Avraham

The Jerusalem Post

• “This is a super-exciting time, now that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved gene therapy for rare hearing loss. There have been just 20 cases in the US per year, and one or two in Israel. We created a proof of principle. We hope to regenerate hair cells, but often it’s too late because hearing was lost. However, if in the future, one could test every child at birth, we could predict a problem, and gene therapy could be performed.” — Prof. Karen Avraham

The Jerusalem Post

• “I want to help, but I’m careful not to raise their expectations, because it’s still basic research.” — Prof. Karen Avraham

The Jerusalem Post

• “Our study shows that even in tissues long considered incapable of regeneration, such as the cochlea of the inner ear, there is in fact a hidden regenerative capacity, though it is very limited and appears only in a rare subpopulation of cells.” — Prof. Karen Avraham

The Jerusalem Post