Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is caused by degeneration of hair cells or auditory neurons; adult mammalian cochlear hair cells have no self-repairing ability, and once damage occurs, it will be permanent. Neural stem cells (NSCs) transplantation for treating inner ear diseases has a broad application prospect. Firstly, they can be induced to differentiate into hair cell-like cells to complement or replace damaged hair cells. Second, neural stem cell-derived cells can be integrated into the inner ear microenvironment and interact with host cells to promote inner ear repair. However, the main challenges of neural stem cell transplantation therapy are to improve the survival rate of transplanted cells and to ensure their proper differentiation. Continuous research progress is expected to advance this field and bring new hope for treating inner ear diseases. The aim of this review is to summarise the progress of this field of research, with a view to providing theoretical foundations and research directions for future clinical applications.

Danni Li, Yidian Zhai, Zhangwei Chen. Research progress of neural stem cells in the treatment of sensorineural hearing loss. Frontiers in Medical Science Research (2024), Vol. 6, Issue 6: 41-46. https://doi.org/10.25236/FMSR.2024.060606.

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