Deafness caused by inner ear nerve damage may be cured with stem cell therapy, scientists have claimed. Researchers from the University of Sheffield partially improved hearing in gerbils when nerves in the ear, which pass sounds into the brain, were rebuilt using stem cells, the BBC News reported.

The ear converts sound waves in the air into electrical signals which the brain will understand. This happens deep inside the inner ear where vibrations move tiny hairs and this movement creates an electrical signal. The researchers aimed to replace nerve cells, called spiral ganglion neurons, that are used for hearing.

They used stem cells from a human embryo, which are capable of becoming any other type of cell in the human body from nerve to skin, muscle to kidney. These were then delicately injected into the inner ears of 18 deaf gerbils. Gerbils can hear the similar range of sounds as humans. Over 10 weeks the gerbils’ hearing improved. About 45 per cent of their hearing range was restored by the end of the study.