Dr. Karen Avraham is the Dean of the Gray Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at Tel Aviv University (formerly known as the Sackler School of Medicine)

A groundbreaking study under the leadership of Dr. Avraham has identified a unique biological mechanism that could, in the future, enable the regeneration of sensory hair cells in the inner ear - a process previously thought to be impossible in humans. 

Hearing loss is often caused by damage to hair cells in the cochlea, cells responsible for detecting sound and converting it into electrical signals transmitted to the brain. Unlike many other species, mammals, including humans, are unable to regenerate these cells once they are damaged, making the loss permanent.

The team uncovered a rare subset of supporting cells with an unexpected regenerative potential, capable of making the transition from supporting cells to hair cells, a step that is essential for hair cell regeneration.

“Our study shows that even in tissues long considered incapable of regeneration, such as the cochlea of the inner ear, there is in fact a hidden regenerative capacity, though it is very limited and appears only in a rare subpopulation of cells,” Professor Avraham says. “The major challenge now is to understand how this ability can be expanded and activated in additional cells. If we succeed in doing this, we may lay the foundation for the development of innovative biological treatments that restore hearing, rather than merely compensate for its loss.”

For Pre-reading:

Live imaging and multimodal profiling reveal transdifferentiation of a cochlear supporting cell subpopulation upon Notch inhibition | Science Advances

Breakthrough Israeli study finds potential path to reversing hearing loss | The Jerusalem Post