Generation of inner ear sensory neurons using blastocyst complementation in a Neurog1(+/−)−deficient mouse

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. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13287-021-02184-1.