The intricate cellular mechanisms that are required for the correct function of the auditory and vestibular systems are fascinating. Encased in one of the hardest bones of the human body, the inner ear is notoriously hard to study. Yet, recent technological advances have helped to gain new experimental evidence and elucidate a variety of processes in the healthy and diseased organs.

Similarly, prolific translational breakthroughs have led to the development of the most successful neuroprosthesis, the cochlear implant, which has been a reality in clinical use for decades and has changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Relatively novel endeavors in the field include vestibular implants, stem cell therapy, or gene therapy, which are currently under development in a plethora of preclinical and clinical studies. From cell culture to animal models, surgical approaches to processing intraoperatively obtained human tissue, advanced single-cell technology, or novel imaging strategies, this Methods Collection tries to highlight relevant contemporary techniques for auditory and vestibular researchers.