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Diseases of inner ear
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The aims of this project are to define the cellular environmental conditions and the procedures necessary for inducing sensory "hair" cell regeneration in the human vestibular sensory epithelia and to determine whether stem cells can be isolated from them. The longer term aim is to identify possible regenerative therapies for replacing lost hair cells. Loss of hair cells from the vestibular system of the inner ear causes balance dysfunction, which is a major disabling condition and also a contributor to falls in the elderly. In the project, human and mouse vestibular explants will be maintained in culture for various times following the ablation of sensory cells in vitro. We will then explore whether it is possible to induce hair cell regeneration through manipulation of regulatory pathways that are active when hair cells are originally generated during development. We will also determine whether, as has been reported for mice, the human tissue contains stem cells that can be induced to generate hair cells. The potential availability of vestibular sensory tissue from patients undergoing surgery for the removal of acoustic neuromas provides a unique opportunity to obtain inner ear tissues from humans for experimental studies. These tissues are normally discarded during the surgery, and their collection does not involve any changes to the clinical procedure.
Start dates may differ between countries and research sites. The research team are responsible for keeping the information up-to-date.
The recruitment start and end dates are as follows:
Observational type: Clinical Laboratory Study;
You can take part if:
You may not be able to take part if:
Excludes all patients undergoing surgery for acoustic neuromas where a different approach is more appropriate or there is a different treatment option for the patient.
Below are the locations for where you can take part in the trial. Please note that not all sites may be open.
The study is sponsored by University College London and funded by Medical Research Council (MRC); THE DUNHILL MEDICAL TRUST; ROSETREES; .
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Read full details
for Trial ID: CPMS 11506
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