Researchers at the Catholic University of Korea St. Marys Hospital have recently proved the efficacy of bone marrow-derived stem cells to treat ototoxicity hearing loss, the hospital said Thursday.

The team, led by Professor Park Kyoung-ho of the Department of Otolaryngology, conducted an experiment on animal models with ototoxic sensorineural hearing, or sudden hearing loss.

They utilized Catholic MASTER cells, bone marrow stem cells developed by the Catholic Institute of Cell Therapy, to compare the stem cell injection group with the controlled group.

The result showed that animals started to recover their hearing after three weeks. Five weeks later, they recovered normal hearing at 8000Hz, 16000Hz and 32000Hz frequency.

Ototoxic hearing loss is caused when a person ingests chemicals or certain medications that adversely affect the inner ear functions. Major symptoms related to the illness are dizziness, false hearing, and hearing loss, which permanently defects hearing functions. Elders with such symptoms should have medical consultations as they are a high-risk group, the hospital said.

We have proved the efficacy of our bone marrow stem cells in recovering hearing, said Professor Park, who doubles as the director of the Stem Cell Institute. Through the results, we expect to provide new treatment opportunities for patients with hearing loss.

The test results were published in the Korean Journal of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

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Stem cells efficacy confirmed in treating ototoxic hearing loss - Korea Biomedical Review

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