Unlike non-mammalian vertebrates, hair cell damage in the mature mammalian cochlea leads to permanent hearing loss. There is great need for the discovery of new factors that promote hair cell and support cell generation in addition to their survival. This project aims to shed light on a new potential target for regenerative therapeutics, early B cell factor 1 (EBF1), which my experiments indicate promotes proper cochlear patterning by regulating prosensory domain establishment.