I'd like to point something out re: support cells. We seem to keep discussing those support cells in cochlea pictures that are next to hair cells. However, Frequency Therapeutics describes the progenitor support cells as being
underneath the hair cells.
Are we sure the LGR5+ "progenitor" support cells aren't just underneath those "filler" support cells pictured on damaged cochleas?
If so, could it be that in profound regions of loss cases, the progenitors lie just underneath?
Cite:
The cochlea is the organ within the ear that controls hearing. Within the cochlea are rows of inner and outer sensory (or hair) cells that help filter and tune sounds while also providing connections to the brain. When these cells are damaged – either by noise, age or infection – they do not naturally regenerate. This damage can lead to sensorineural hearing loss, the primary cause of 90 percent of all hearing loss.
But underneath these rows of sensory cells are the progenitor cells that created the original hair cells when we were in utero. FX-322 is made of two small molecules that, when combined, aim to turn on these progenitor cells and enable the growth of new sensory cells (while also creating new progenitor cells) and potentially restore hearing.
Source:
https://investors.frequencytx.com/sec-filings/sec-filing/8-k/0001193125-20-127683