Journal article
Cell-based neurotrophin treatment supports long-term auditory neuron survival in the deaf guinea pig
LN Gillespie, MP Zanin, RK Shepherd
Journal of Controlled Release | Published : 2015
Abstract
The cochlear implant provides auditory cues to profoundly deaf patients by electrically stimulating the primary auditory neurons (ANs) of the cochlea. However, ANs degenerate in deafness; the preservation of a robust AN target population, in combination with advances in cochlear implant technology, may provide improved hearing outcomes for cochlear implant patients. The exogenous delivery of neurotrophins such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-3 is well known to support AN survival in deafness, and cell-based therapies provide a potential clinically viable option for delivering neurotrophins into the deaf cochlea. This study utilized cells that were genetically mod..
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Awarded by National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Acknowledgements
The authors would like to extend thanks to: Dr Andrew Wise and Dr James Fallon for assistance with surgery and electrophysiology; Alison Neil and Nicole Critch for technical assistance; Amy Morley, Prudence Neilsen and Ceara McGowan for histological assistance; and Marilyn Geaney and Dr Stephen Skinner from Living Cell Technologies for cell encapsulation. This work was funded by the Garnett Passe and Rodney Williams Memorial Foundation and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (APP# 526901). The Bionics Institute acknowledges the support it receives from the Victorian Government through its Operational Infrastructure Support Program.