Sendai virus vector-mediated transgene expression in the cochlea in vivo

We injected a recombinant Sendai virus (SeV) vector into the guinea pig cochlea using two different approaches--the scala media and scala tympani--and investigated which cell types took up the vector. The hearing threshold shift and distribution of transfected cells in animals using the scala media approach were different compared to those using the scala tympani approach. SeV can transfect very different types of cells, including stria vascularis, spiral ganglion neurons, and sensory epithelia of the organ of Corti, and fibrocytes of the scala tympani. Because SeV vectors can potentially deliver stimuli to the cochlea to induce hair cell regeneration, it may be a powerful tool for repairing the organ of Corti.