Biotechnology in the treatment of sensorineural hearing loss: foundations and future of hair cell regeneration.

PURPOSE To provide an overview of the methodologies involved in the field of hair cell regeneration. First, the author provides a tutorial on the biotechnological foundations of this field to assist the reader in the comprehension and interpretation of the research involved in hair cell regeneration. Next, the author presents a review of stem cell and gene therapy and provides a critical appraisal of their application to hair cell regeneration. The methodologies used in these approaches are highlighted. METHOD The author conducted a narrative review of the fields of cellular, molecular, and developmental biology, tissue engineering, and stem cell and gene therapy using the PubMed database. RESULTS The use of biotechnological approaches to the treatment of hearing loss--approaches such as stem cell and gene therapy-has led to new methods of regenerating cochlear hair cells in mammals. CONCLUSIONS Incredible strides have been made in assembling important pieces of the puzzle that comprise hair cell regeneration. However, mammalian hair cell regeneration using stem cell and gene therapy are years--if not decades--away from being clinically feasible. If the goals of the biological approaches are met, these therapies may represent future treatments for hearing loss.