Tinnitus: Stem Cells and Synthetic Cells

Researchers and medical providers know that the most common cause of tinnitus is noise. The noise either bends or breaks the cilia inside of the cochlea. If the cilia is bent it may straighten up over time. The tinnitus goes away when the cilia straightens up. If the cilia is broken off then severe chronic tinnitus is typically the result. It will never stop until researchers find a cure.

Theoretically, if a stem cell cilia were planted inside the cochlea where the fallen cilia used to be plugged in then we may have a future breakthrough. If we think of the auditory system from brain to cochlea and back again as a closed circuit then we can imagine how plugging the appropriate stem cilia cell into the appropriate base would lead to a cure for most tinnitus sufferers. Think of this process as analogous to replacing a blown fuse in an electrical panel. We would have to search for that exact one by trial and error by plugging a new bulb into each holder until suddenly the lights would turn on.

The problem lies in producing and replicating cells at the microscopic level and then having the tools to plug them in. As for the cells, I would guess that Craig Venter is on to something with synthetic cells development.

To my knowledge cilia cell replication has never been accomplished. But Venter et al. could soon figure out the code for cilia cell DNA and generate synthetic cilia cells.

This research is in its infancy but Harvard University is also experimenting with creating microscopic objects that are smaller than a human hair. They've achieved some success in creating microscopic flowers.

If these researchers could somehow create cilia cells (using our own stem cells from skin samples or creating synthetic cilia cells) and if they could invent instruments to perform the surgery necessary to plug in the new cilia cells most cases of severe chronic subjective tinnitus due to noise damage would likely be cured. This is very promising research.

Here is more information on the topic:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2013/05/20/185509508/nanogardens-sprout-up-on-the-surface-of-a-penny?ft=1&f=1007&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=nprscience