Hair cell regeneration in the teleost ear

PI: Michael Smith, Western Kentucky University

Research Summary
The purpose of this project is to examine the process of hair cell
regeneration in the zebrafish inner ear. Mammalian hair cells that die
following exposure to ototoxic chemicals or acoustic trauma do not
regenerate, but other vertebrates, such as fishes and birds, can
regenerate lost hair cells. My ultimate goal is to develop a teleost
model of hair cell regeneration in order to study the process of
differentiation of supporting cells into functional hair cells. The
first aim of this project is to determine the timeline of hair cell
death and regeneration following inner ear trauma, which is necessary
before this process can be examined cytologically and molecularly.