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Ear cells 'could restore hearing' Sunday, 25 March, 2001, 23:11 GMT 00:11 UK - Scientists have engineered ear cells that could be transplanted into humans to arrest hearing loss or even regenerate long-lost hearing. The work has been carried out by Professor Matthew Holley, of the University of Bristol. He envisages the cells working in tandem with inner ear implants to restore hearing by promoting nerve regeneration. Professor Holley will unveil his work at a conference on Genetics and Deafness organised by the charity Defeating Deafness and the UK Council on Deafness in London on Monday. He said: "Cochlear implants, small devices which stimulate the auditory nerve, work very well in a limited way. "But they cannot be given to long-term deaf people because their auditory nerves have degenerated too far. "Replacement nerve cells could improve the electrical contact between the implant and the brain. "This opens up the prospect of making implants more effective and using them on a much wider scale. "We may be in a position to make these advances in three to five years' time." A spokesperson for the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) said: "Currently, not all deaf people can benefit from a cochlear implant. Professor Holley's work on nerve regeneration may broaden this scope. "RNID welcomes any progress which may open up the possibility of benefiting from a cochlear implant to those deaf people who would wish to have one. "We look forward to studying the results of the research." However, Stephen Rooney, of the British Deaf Association, said researchers were wrong to see deafness simply as something that should be cured. "Deaf people are proud of their culture, history and language. They are not looking for a 'cure', but for equality and acceptance." Related to this story: Children missing out on ear implants (04 Aug 00 | Health) Hearing tests for all newborns (28 Jun 00 | Health) Hi-tech hearing aids free on NHS (18 Jan 00 | Health) Internet links: UK Council on Deafness Defeating Deafness Royal National Institute for Deaf People British Deaf Association BBC News Online: Health http://news.bbc.co.uk/low/english/health/newsid_1235000/1235606.stm janet paterson, an akinetic rigid subtype, albeit perky, parky PD: 54/41/37 CD: 54/44/43 TEL: 613 256 8340 EMAIL: [log in to unmask] "A New Voice" home page: http://www.geocities.com/janet313/ . "New Voice News" latest posts: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nvnNET/ . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn