June 2026: Avraham, Elkon, and Sprinzak: Rare inner ear cells identified as triggers of hearing cell regeneration

A new study led by Prof. Karen Avraham (Edmond J. Safra member, Medical & Health Sciences) and her PhD student Lama Khalaily, together with Prof. David Sprinzak (Edmond J. Safra affiliate, Life Sciences), Prof. Rani Elkon (Edmond J. Safra member, Medical & Health Sciences), and colleagues, has uncovered key cellular drivers of hearing restoration. The research, published in Science Advances, provides important insight into how sensory hair cells in the inner ear can regenerate.

Using advanced multi-omics techniques and live-cell imaging, the researchers identified a rare and previously unrecognized subgroup of supporting cells, termed transdifferentiating Deiters’ cells (tDCs), that initiate the regeneration process. These cells are the first to switch identity and begin transforming into sensory hair cells, which are critical for hearing.

Interestingly, upon inhibition of the Notch signaling pathway, only this small subset of supporting cells activated a trans-differentiation program into hair cells. Most supporting cells remained unchanged, highlighting inherent differences in regenerative potential within the tissue.

The researchers tracked the earliest stages of this transformation and found that tDCs undergo coordinated changes in gene expression and regulatory elements, while neighboring cells do not respond despite being exposed to the same conditions.

These findings deepen our understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying hair cell regeneration and offer a framework for future studies aimed at promoting sensory cell repair in the inner ear.

The study received extensive media coverage, for example: meridia, lifeboat, israelscienceinfo, VISAVIS, thejewishedition, JWIRE, ISRAELSEEN, PHYS, MIRAGE, JFORUM, JPOST, JNS, eastleighvoice, thejc, vinnews, jns.