Stem Cells Could Cure Deafness

Stem cell researchers have made a breakthrough they believe could someday cure deafness, the Times of London reports. The British team, working with stem cells from the inner ear, have successfully grown early versions of the cells that enable hearing and now aim to create functional cells that can be transplanted into the inner ear to reverse hearing loss.

Researchers say a cure for total hearing loss is still at least a decade away, but believe their work can be used immediately to test new drugs and probe the causes of deafness. "This research is incredibly promising and opens up exciting possibilities by bringing us closer to restoring hearing in the future,” said a research director at the Royal National Institute for the Deaf. (More deaf people stories.)