Exploring immunological factors in inner ear disorders: immune cells, inflammation, and homeostasis: volume II

The inner ear is increasingly recognized as an immunologically active sensory organ in which resident and recruited immune cells, tissue barriers, vascular and bone marrow-associated compartments, and local inflammatory mediators contribute to both physiological homeostasis and responses to injury. Dysregulated immune activity has been implicated in several auditory and vestibular disorders, including Ménière’s disease, sudden sensorineural hearing loss, autoimmune inner-ear disease, age-related hearing loss, and hearing damage associated with infection, noise exposure, ototoxic agents, or surgery.Recent advances in cellular and molecular profiling have expanded our understanding of immune cell populations within and around the cochlea and vestibular organs. Macrophages, mast cells, lymphocytes, and other innate and adaptive immune components may influence tissue development, immune surveillance, vascular integrity, repair, and sensory-cell survival. At the same time, systemic allergic and inflammatory conditions may affect inner ear function through circulating mediators, immune-cell recruitment, or disruption of local barriers and homeostatic mechanisms.This Research Topic aims to advance understanding of the physiological and pathological roles of the immune system in the inner ear. It will bring together basic, translational, and clinical research examining how immune cells, inflammatory pathways, and systemic immune conditions affect auditory and vestibular function across development, adulthood, and aging. Greater insight into these mechanisms may support the identification of biomarkers, improve disease classification, and facilitate the development of immune-targeted strategies for hearing preservation and restoration.We welcome contributions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:• Phenotypes, localization, and functions of resident and recruited immune cells in the cochlea and vestibular system• Physiological roles of immune cells in inner-ear development, maturation, maintenance, and aging• Immunological mechanisms contributing to Ménière’s disease, sudden sensorineural hearing loss, autoimmune inner-ear disease, and other auditory or vestibular disorders• Effects of allergy, systemic inflammation, infection, and immune dysregulation on inner-ear function• Immune responses to acoustic trauma, ototoxicity, surgery, cochlear implantation, and other forms of inner-ear injury• Interactions among immune cells, sensory cells, neurons, supporting cells, vascular structures, the endolymphatic sac, and temporal-bone marrow• Molecular mediators of inner-ear inflammation, repair, fibrosis, and tissue remodeling• Immune surveillance, blood–labyrinth barrier function, and mechanisms regulating immune-cell trafficking into the inner ear• Application of single-cell, spatial, transcriptomic, proteomic, and other advanced approaches to inner-ear immunology• Experimental and translational models for investigating immune-mediated auditory and vestibular dysfunction• Biomarkers and therapeutic strategies targeting immune or inflammatory pathways for hearing and balance disordersBy integrating immunology, auditory and vestibular neuroscience, otology, and translational medicine, this Research Topic seeks to define how immune mechanisms contribute not only to inner-ear disease but also to the development, maintenance, protection, and repair of auditory and vestibular tissues.Note: As per the Inflammation section’s scope, manuscripts based solely on bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic datasets, without robust and relevant validation (e.g., confirmation in an independent patient cohort or through PCR), are considered out of scope. Topic editors: Agnieszka J. Szczepek, Tejbeer Kaur, Bohua Hu Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84403/exploring-immunological-factors-in-inner-ear-disorders-immune-cells-inflammation-and-homeostasis-volume-ii