The study in the July 25, 2013 online edition of the Journal of Clinical Investigation reveals the rescuing act that supporting cells and a chemical they produce called heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) appear to play in protecting damaged hair cells from death. Finding a way to jumpstart this process in supporting cells offers a potential pathway to prevent hearing loss caused by certain drugs, and possibly by exposure to excess noise. The study was led by scientists at the National Institutes of Health.

Over half a million Americans experience hearing loss every year from ototoxic drugs — drugs that can damage hair cells in the inner ear. These include some antibiotics and the chemotherapy drug cisplatin. In addition, about 15 percent of Americans between the ages of 20 and 69 have noise-induced hearing loss, which also results from damage to the sensory hair cells.