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The structure of the guinea pig ear is similar to that of humans, meaning that their hearing range is also similar. Guinea pigs also display the Preyer reflex used in checking for deafness, in which the outer ear moves in response to a whistle. Guinea pigs are therefore a preferred animal model for studying auditory systems, and in 1961Georg von Békésy was awarded a Nobel Prize for describing the mechanical mechanisms of the cochlea in guinea pigs1. Hair cells are sensory cells of the auditory system, which convert sound into an electrical signal. This signal can then be communicated through nerve cells. These cells do not re-grow when damaged, and loss of hair cells often leads to deafness as we age. The first successful attempt to regenerate hair cells in the inner ear of a mammal, announced in 2003, was achieved in guinea pigs2.
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