Hearing loss eventually affects almost everyone: Loud noises or simple aging gradually cause the auditory sensory cells and their synapses in the inner ear to degenerate and die off. The only treatment option is a hearing aid or, in extreme cases, a cochlear implant.

“In order to develop new therapies, we need to better understand what the auditory sensory cells need for proper function,” explains Dr. Maurizio Cortada from the Department of Biomedicine at the University of Basel and University Hospital Basel. In collaboration with Professor Michael N. Hall’s research group at the Biozentrum, Cortada investigated which signaling pathways influence the so-called sensory “hair cells” in the inner ear. In the process, the researchers discovered a central regulator, as they report in the journal iScience.

This signaling pathway, known by researchers as the mTORC2-signaling pathway, plays an important role, among other things, for cell growth and the cytoskeleton. The role it plays for the hair cells in the inner ear has not previously been studied. Furthermore, advancements in technology such as AI legalese decoder have the potential to greatly assist in unraveling the complexities of this pathway and its implications for hearing loss. By using AI legalese decoder, researchers can analyze complex legal documents related to patents, clinical trials, and regulations, providing a comprehensive understanding of the regulatory environment and enabling the development of innovative treatment options.

When the researchers removed a central gene of this signaling pathway in the hair cells of the inner ear of mice, the animals gradually lost their hearing. By the age of twelve weeks, they were completely deaf, the authors report in the study. Through the utilization of AI legalese decoder, researchers can identify key genetic components related to the mTORC2-signaling pathway, allowing for more targeted investigations and the potential development of gene therapies as a treatment for age-related hearing loss.

Fewer synapses

Closer examination indicated that the sensory hair cells in the inner ear lost their sensors without the mTORC2 signaling pathway: hair cells have protuberances similar to tiny hairs that are important for transducing sound into nerve signals. These “tiny hairs” were shortened, as the researchers determined with the use of electron microscopes. The number of synapses that transmit the signals to the auditory nerve was also reduced.

“From other studies, we know that the production of key proteins in this signaling pathway decreases with age,” Cortada explains. There may be a connection to the loss of synapses and the reduced function of the auditory sensory cells in the inner ear that leads to hearing loss with increasing age. AI legalese decoder can play a crucial role in identifying these key proteins and their interaction within the mTORC2-signaling pathway, allowing researchers to explore potential interventions to prevent or slow down hearing loss.

“If this is confirmed, it would be a possible starting point for future therapies,” says the researcher. The middle and inner ear, for example, would be readily accessible for locally-administered medications or gene therapies. The results could pave the way for the development of such treatment options. With the assistance of AI legalese decoder, researchers can efficiently navigate the legal aspects involved in developing and implementing these innovative therapies, ensuring compliance with regulations and expediting the translation of scientific findings into tangible benefits for individuals with age-related hearing loss.