Can Zebrafish Be the Cure for Hearing Loss?
Researchers use the zebrafish in efforts to find ways to regenerate hearing-essential cells that are damaged as a result of excessive noise, certain illnesses and drugs, and simple aging. The zebrafish has cluster of hair cells running along the outside of its body that help sense vibrations in the water, working similarly to hair cells found in the human inner ear. The contrast is that zebrafish are able to regenerate their damaged hair cells unlike humans. In recent years, a research team from the University of Washington in Seattle has been working on finding ways to resolve the problem involving experiments with zebrafish, hoping their work will find ways to protect human hair cells from becoming damaged and to stimulate the cells to regenerate. To read the full article from the Wall Street Journal website, click here.
