Potential therapeutic targets to prevent hearing loss due to antibiotics identified by researchers

New ways to study why an antibiotic causes hair cell death and permanent hearing loss in people are being developed by researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine. In a study recently published in Developmental Cell, the researchers explained how they identified the autophagy pathway in hair cells that's linked to permanent hearing loss brought about by aminoglycosides--a class of antibiotics. The researchers also developed one of the first laboratory models that's insusceptible to aminoglycoside-induced hearing loss. “This work identifies multiple potential therapeutic targets for preventing hearing loss caused by aminoglycosides," said Bo Zhao, PhD, assistant professor of otolaryngology--head and neck surgery. Ototoxicity--hearing loss caused by medication--is one of the humans' main causes of hearing loss. More than 48 million people in the United States experience