While cochlear implants can result in recovery of hearing in deaf patients, a key problem is limited sound quality and poor tonal perception.
Delivery of regenerative stem cells (such as cochlear hair cell precursors) to the cochlea could potentially to restore normal hearing without the need for prosthesis.
Dr. Brian Westerberg ( Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery )
and Dr. Louise Straatman ( Fellow, Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery ) have received a VCHRI Innovation and Translational Research Award to study the specific delivery of cells labelled with paramagnetic nanoparticles to the cochlea in which a magnet has been implanted.
posted : 2015-July-6