On Deaf Ears

In this episode of On Deaf Ears, I chat with Associate Professor Dr. Bryony Nayagam. Bryony holds a teaching and research position at the University of Melbourne where she coordinates subjects for audiology and speech pathology. She also heads the Auditory Neuroscience Unit. I talk with Bryony about the research on finding ways to potentially regenerate the sensory cells of the inner ear using stem cells. Bryony explains matters on disease-modeling, the genetic causes of deafness, cochlear implantation, neurons and denervation. We also tackle the future of this research and how functional recovery in relation to forming new connections and synapses to the brain as its end game, as well as new findings in technology and other studies. --------------- HIGHLIGHTS 2:02 Bryony’s research so far 4:10 What are induced pluripotent stem cells? 11:10 When to implement cell correction? 16:50 Denervation in the cochlea 21:32 Will these therapies take over the clinics?