Strategies for a regenerative therapy of hearing loss.

Despite impressive technical progress in the field of conventional hearing aids and implantable hearing systems, the hopes for the treatment of inner ear diseases such as hearing loss and tinnitus have become increasingly directed toward regenerative therapeutic approaches. This review discusses the currently most promising strategies for hair cell regeneration in the inner ear to treat hearing loss, including stem cell-based, gene transfer-based, and pharmacological interventions. Furthermore, previous milestones and ground-breaking work in this scientific field are identified. After many years of basic research, the first clinical trials with a regenerative therapeutic approach for hearing-impaired patients were recently initiated. Although there is still a long and bumpy road ahead until a true breakthrough is achieved, it seems more realistic than ever that regenerative therapies for the inner ear will find their way into clinical practice.