The Cochlea as a Window into Aging Precision Tools for Longevity Science
With Uri Manor
The mammalian cochlea is a small, exquisitely organized organ with enormous untapped potential for advancing aging science. With its tonotopic architecture, genetically diverse cell types, and precise correlation between structure and function, the cochlea offers a unique opportunity to map cellular aging in situ with unprecedented spatial and functional resolution. In this talk, I will highlight our development of ImAge, a novel imaging-based platform that quantifies chromatin aging at the single-cell level, and show how we use the cochlea to directly link molecular aging trajectories to physiological decline. We demonstrate that cochlear inner hair cells provide a robust system to test and refine interventions such as partial reprogramming and epigenetic modulators in a tissue that ages predictably, is non-regenerative, and directly impacts quality of life. By leveraging the cochlea’s unique biology, we propose a new framework for high-resolution, high-throughput discovery of aging biomarkers and rejuvenation strategies—with broad implications for systemic aging and therapeutic development.