Pathways to Regeneration: Uncovering New Possibilities in Medicine

The Rockefeller University
November 15, 2023

SPEAKER
A. James Hudspeth, M.D., Ph.D.
F.M. Kirby Professor
Laboratory of Sensory Neuroscience
The Rockefeller University
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

HOST
Richard P. Lifton, M.D., Ph.D.
President and Carson Family Professor
Laboratory of Human Genetics and Genomics
The Rockefeller University

Of the five senses humans rely on, hearing is perhaps the most fragile. Our ability to hear depends on tiny patches of sensory cells in the inner ear that respond to sound. At birth, the average human ear has about 16,000 of these sensory receptor cells, which are vulnerable to damage from loud noises, certain prescription medications, and the aging process. Auditory receptors die off over time, and unlike most cells in the body, they are not replaced when lost.

In this program, Dr. Hudspeth, a pioneer in basic research on hearing and hearing loss, provides a fascinating look into the importance of hair cells in the inner ear and how these mechanisms allow us to hear and process sound as information. Dr. Hudspeth discusses how the loss and damage of these hair cells leads to hearing loss, and how the work in his laboratory has been working towards finding a therapeutic agent that aids in cell communication that will allow for the regeneration of lost and damaged hair cell bundles. Dr. Hudspeth shares how these discoveries have encouraging implications for hearing loss and other health conditions.