Sea anemone proteins could help fix hearing problem

New research suggests that certain proteins from Sea anemone could repair damage to cells within a mammal’s inner ear.

These same proteins repair Sea anemone’s feathery tentacles.

The finding comes from a study done in mice and could be an early step toward finding a treatment for people with hearing loss, the researchers said.

In mammals,including humans,sound is translated from vibrations in the air into nerve signals that can be sent to the brain by highly specialized cells called hair cells.These are found within the cochlea,a fluid-filled structure of the inner ear.Damage to these hair cells,which can be caused by exposure to loud noise,can result in hearing loss and mammals are not able to repair hair cells once they are harmed.

It turns out that sea anemones have similar hair cells on their tentacles,which the animals use to sense ocean vibrations and approaching predators,according to a statement from the journal of Experimental Biology,which published the new study on August 3rd,2016.

Watch out for the results of more research works carried out on this subject matter recently. If the results are positive, this could be a turning point for the deaf in our society.