BPoD has moved!

BPoD has recently changed our domain name - we can now be found at bpod.org.uk

Please update your bookmarks!

Now in our 13th year of bringing you beautiful imagery from biomedical science every day

Search the archive of over 4000 images

Listen Hair

Organoids used to test drugs as potential stimulators of the inner ear's hair cells to restore hearing

19 October 2021

Listen Hair

A bald patch in the wrong spot can threaten more than your appearance. Hair cells of the inner ear play a fundamental role in hearing, and damage, disease, or degradation can cause hearing loss. In humans these cells cannot be repaired or replaced, but they can in other species, such as birds and fish, raising hopes that restoration could be possible in the right circumstances. To investigate, a study developed organoids – miniature ear-mimicking structures – from newborn mouse ear tissue (pictured, with hair cells in green) and used these as a platform to speculatively test the impact of over a thousand different drugs. They found that regorafenib, a drug typically used to fight cancer, stimulated hair cell formation. Hair cells even regenerated in tissues after damage caused by chemical exposure. If this translates to humans, it could eventually mean new treatments for hearing loss, and this experimental approach could yield further revelations.

Written by Anthony Lewis

Search The Archive

Submit An Image

Follow on Tumblr

Follow on Instagram

What is BPoD?

BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

Read More

BPoD is also available in Catalan at www.bpod.cat with translations by the University of Valencia.