UVA researchers looking for new ways to stop hearing loss

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - You’ll be happy to hear about new findings from UVA researchers that may help stop hearing loss.

Hair-like cells in the inner ear help transfer sound vibrations to the brain. They’re an integral part of hearing, and a part of hearing loss.

UVA Professor of Neuroscience Jung-Bum Shin says the main reason why we lose our sense of hearing as we age is because we lose those hair cells after 60-70 years.

“They just run out of juice and they just die,” Shin said.

The body does not re-grow them, but researchers may have found a way to repair them.

“We think that we identified a switch or mechanism of how hair cells repair themselves,” Shin said.

The next step is to see if they can regulate and enhance the repair capacity.

In the future, medication could be used to help the cells survive longer.

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