Hearing News Watch

KANSAS CITY, MO — While humans can regularly replace certain cells, such as those in the blood and gut, most other tissues in the body do not naturally regenerate. For example, when the tiny sensory hair cells in the inner ear are damaged, the result is often permanent hearing loss, deafness, or balance disorders. In contrast, animals like fish, frogs,

What gives the human ear its remarkable ability to detect the faintest sounds and discern subtle shifts in pitch? For decades, scientists have recognized that our hearing depends on an “active process” in the cochlea—a built-in amplifier that boosts mechanical signals. But exactly how this process works, especially in mammals, has remained a mystery, primarily because of the cochlea’s fragility

by Marshall Chasin, AuD Up to 15 years ago, I wasn’t sure that Dr. Jack Katz actually existed.  How can one person be so prolific and everywhere at once- one day giving a talk in Ankara, Turkey, and the next, a seminar in Iowa.  And then a book chapter came out, and…  How can only one person be everywhere and

EDEN PRAIRIE, MINNESOTA – Starkey has been named the inaugural corporate partner of the newly established UNICEF Children with Disabilities Fund, which aims to provide timely and effective interventions for children with disabilities worldwide. As the first official partner, Starkey is supporting UNICEF’s efforts to accelerate disability-focused programming and expand opportunities for children and youth with disabilities. The partnership aligns

Researchers at the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) and the Göttingen Cluster of Excellence “Multiscale Bioimaging” (MBExC) have shown how a minimal change in a single ion channel increases the sensitivity of sensory cells in the inner ear. Even soft sounds, such as a whisper, are perceived more clearly, but can cause prolonged overloading, which may ultimately lead to long-term

ERLANGEN & BERLIN, GERMANY — The novel compound AC102 almost completely reversed tinnitus in a preclinical model after a single dose. At the same time, the damaged connections between the auditory nerve and inner ear sensory cells were restored. These findings were recently published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences in a joint study conducted by Erlangen University Hospital

MONTPELLIER, FRANCE – Sensorion (FR0012596468 – ALSEN), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel therapies to treat and prevent hearing loss disorders, has announced encouraging preliminary data from the first patient cohort of its ongoing Phase 1/2 Audiogene clinical trial. The trial evaluates SENS-501, an investigational gene therapy candidate targeting a specific form of congenital deafness caused by mutations

SHEFFIELD, UNITED KINGDOM — Rinri Therapeutics, a University of Sheffield spinout pioneering regenerative therapies for hearing loss, has received approval from the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to begin its first-in-human clinical trial of Rincell-1, a first-in-class otic neural progenitor cell therapy designed to treat sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). The Phase I/IIa trial, expected to begin imminently,

Researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the Institut Pasteur have uncovered new evidence that the human brain continues to process threatening sounds even while we sleep. The study, published in Scientific Reports, reveals that “rough” sounds—such as human screams and alarms—evoke distinctive patterns of brain activity that signal heightened awareness, even without waking the sleeper. This discovery provides

EDEN PRAIRIE, MINNESOTA – Starkey participated in the 2025 Twin Cities Walk4Hearing, organized by the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), joining thousands of individuals across the country in support of hearing loss awareness and advocacy. The event brought together more than 100 Starkey employees, friends, and family members, highlighting the company’s continued involvement in community engagement and education. Brandon