Dr Marcelo Rivolta: Research
Research Themes: Biology of human auditory stem cells and potential cell-based therapies for deafness
Deafness is a major public health issue, with more than 3 million people in the UK enduring a moderate to profound hearing loss. The numbers rise to almost 9 million if we include sufferers of mild impairments. This is important, since severity increases rapidly after 50 years of age. Almost 90% of affected people suffer sensorineural loss, which involves deficit of sensory hair cells and their associated innervations. These cells are not replaced and hearing loss is irreversible. There is no definitive restorative treatment for deafness although, with a suitable nerve supply, the sensory function of the inner ear can be partially replaced by a cochlear implant.
Stem cell-based technology now offers a glimpse of hope for patients condemned to live in perpetual silence. A potential therapeutic approach would be to replace lost cells by transplantation of exogenous, in vitro-maintained stem cells. Even patients with a cochlear implant could benefit with an improved neuronal component.
My laboratory is dedicated to study the behaviour of auditory stem cells and to explore their potential to regenerate the damaged inner ear. We are devising ways of directing differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) into auditory phenotypes as well as isolating, directly from foetal ears, populations of multipotent otic stem cells.
NESTIN is an intermediate filament expressed by neuroepithelial stem cells and progenitors. We have established NESTIN +ve cell lines from human foetal cochleae. These cells can be expanded and manipulated in vitro.
Nestin-expressing cochlear cells should retain the ability to differentiate into the distinct cell types of the ear, including hair cells, supporting cells and auditory sensory neurons.
We are exploring their lineage potential and assessing their suitability for functional recovery.
Work in my lab is supported by the RNID and Deafness Research UK.
