The majority of hearing loss is caused by the permanent loss of inner ear hair cells. The
identification of drugs that modulate the susceptibility to hair cell loss or spur their regeneration is
often hampered by the difficulties of assaying for such complex phenomena in mammalian
models. The zebrafish has emerged as a powerful animal model for chemical screening in many
contexts. Several characteristics of the zebrafish, such as its small size and external location of
sensory hair cells, uniquely position it as an ideal model organism for the study of hair cell
toxicity, protection, and regeneration. We have used this model to screen for drugs that affect each
of these aspects of hair cell biology and have identified compounds that affect each of these
processes. The identification of such drugs and drug-like compounds holds promise in the future
ability to stem hearing loss in the human population.