The inner ear, a highly complex sensory organ of the vertebrate head, is responsible for the senses of hearing and balance. Hair Cells, sensory neurons and supporting cells compose the sensory unit that receive and transmit external sensory information to the brain. Due to the inability of hair cells to regenerate in humans, over 5% of the world´s population have “disabling” hearing loss. Over the last decade there has been major advances in directing stem cells into specific lineages for regenerative therapies, in controlling the spatio-temporal control of inner ear gene expression and in deciphering the mutations underlying hearing loss. To date, repair of hearing loss by cellular or molecular mechanisms is still unresolved but, the irruption of the organoid technology and the gene editing tool Cas-CRISPR enlightens new avenues.
The goal of the current Research Topic is to cover and integrate the novel research findings and methodological advances in the field of inner ear development, physiology, repair and disease. Areas to be covered in this Research Topic may include, but are not limited to:
• Single-cell and lineage analysis during development, regeneration and homeostasis
• Molecular and epigenetic mechanisms of inner ear gene regulation
• Genetics of hereditary and progressive hearing loss
• Genetics of vertigo
• Inner ear organoid and cell differentiation methods
• In vivo studies of morphogenesis and mechanobiology of the Inner Ear
The inner ear, a highly complex sensory organ of the vertebrate head, is responsible for the senses of hearing and balance. Hair Cells, sensory neurons and supporting cells compose the sensory unit that receive and transmit external sensory information to the brain. Due to the inability of hair cells to regenerate in humans, over 5% of the world´s population have “disabling” hearing loss. Over the last decade there has been major advances in directing stem cells into specific lineages for regenerative therapies, in controlling the spatio-temporal control of inner ear gene expression and in deciphering the mutations underlying hearing loss. To date, repair of hearing loss by cellular or molecular mechanisms is still unresolved but, the irruption of the organoid technology and the gene editing tool Cas-CRISPR enlightens new avenues.
The goal of the current Research Topic is to cover and integrate the novel research findings and methodological advances in the field of inner ear development, physiology, repair and disease. Areas to be covered in this Research Topic may include, but are not limited to:
• Single-cell and lineage analysis during development, regeneration and homeostasis
• Molecular and epigenetic mechanisms of inner ear gene regulation
• Genetics of hereditary and progressive hearing loss
• Genetics of vertigo
• Inner ear organoid and cell differentiation methods
• In vivo studies of morphogenesis and mechanobiology of the Inner Ear
