Recently, 118 gerbils that had total deafness in one ear were treated by British scientists from The University of Sheffield. Marcelo Rivolta headed this experiment. Using human embryonic stem cells, the teams of scientists were able to improve the hearing of the gerbils by 46 percent. This was able to be recorded by electrical signals in the animals' brains. "If this was a human patient, it would mean going from being so deaf as to be unable to hear a lorry or truck on the street to being able to maintain a conversation," Rivolta told reporters. Gerbil hearing range is very similar to that of humans so that’s why they were chosen for this experiment. Rivolta also said stem-cell treatment would initially address nerve damage, although it could also be used in a wider range of patients if it was used in combination with implants. Doctors hope one day to use stem cells to treat a wide range of diseases such as Parkinson's, diabetes and cancer. Hopes are that eventually also this study can lead to helping people with an intractable form of deafness caused by nerve damage. This is a great start towards a bright advance.                  

Information obtained at www.dailynews.com. Pictures obtained at www.unusualpets.org and www.prometheism.org.