Generation of Inner Ear Sensory Neurons Using Blastocyst Complementation in a Neurog1+/- -Deficient Mouse 

Abstract This research is the first to produce induced pluripotent stem cell-derived inner ear sensory neurons in the Neurog1 +/- heterozygote mouse using blastocyst complementation. Additionally, this approach corrected non-sensory deficits associated with Neurog1 heterozygosity, indicating that complementation is specific to endogenous Neurog1 function. This work validates the use of blastocyst complementation as a tool to create novel insight into the function of developmental genes and highlights blastocyst complementation as a potential platform for generating chimeric inner ear cell types that can be transplanted into damaged inner ears to improve hearing.