Stem cells continue to offer great promise. Researchers at the University of Sheffield in London have discovered how to turn stem cells into cells that behave like sensory hair cells or auditory neurons - giving hope that one day this treatment could help deaf people to hear.

The cells in the ear that detect sound are created only in the womb, which means there is no way to repair them once they have been damaged, resulting in permanent hearing loss. However, using stem cells to generate these cell types in the laboratory could change that dramatically.

"This research is incredibly promising and opens up exciting possibilities by bringing us closer to restoring hearing in the future," said Ralph Holme, director of biomedical research at the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, which helped fund the work.

Details of their research were published in the journal Stem Cells and are due to be presented at a stem cells conference in Oxford next week.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5308MO20090401