Stem cell therapy for inherited skin blistering

Promising results from a trial of a new stem-cell based therapy for a rare and debilitating skin condition have been published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. The therapy, involving infusions of stem cells, was found to provide pain relief and to reduce the severity of this skin condition for which no cure currently exists.

Scientists reverse aging in human cell lines and give theory of aging a new lease of life

Can the process of aging be delayed or even reversed? Research led by specially appointed Professor Jun-Ichi Hayashi from the University of Tsukuba in Japan has shown that, in human cell lines at least, it can. They also found that the regulation of two genes involved with the production of glycine, the smallest and simplest amino acid, is partly responsible for some of the characteristics of aging.

Simple recipe to make sensory hair cells in the ear

Scientists at the Molecular Medicine Institute in Lisbon, Portugal, and at the University College London Ear Institute, United Kingdom, have developed a simple and efficient protocol to generate inner ear hair cells, the cells responsible for our hearing and sense of balance. This study is an important step for the future production of large numbers of these cells for use in cell transplantation therapies or large-scale drug screens. The research has just been published in the scientific journal Development.

Auditory deprivation from hearing loss may cause cognitive decline

A University of Arizona collaborative study among the Departments of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery; Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences; and Psychology received approval in early May to begin accepting human subjects in an effort to determine whether older adults suffering from prolonged hearing loss receive a cognitive boost after cochlear implant surgery.