Hearing aids help, and I couldn’t function without them.  But for those of us afflicted by sensorineural (age related) hearing loss there is now the tantalizing possibility of a cure on the horizon.

Researchers around the world are working on it.  I’ve talked with several, and the main focus of their attention are the hair cells and their supporting cells which line the cochlea.

They transform the vibrations produced by sound into electrical signals that are transmitted to the brain. But as we age they die off. They are killed by loud noises, certain drugs and faulty genes.  The holy grail in this quest is to find a way to bring them back to life.

One of those scientists leading the charge is Dr. Jeffery Harris.  He is Chief of the Division of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at the University of California, San Diego. Not only is he a renowned surgeon but he also leads a team of researchers who are studying the causes of deafness.

In this new video, Dr. Harris gives a clear and concise explanation of the current state of the research and offers more than a glimmer of hope: