HANOVER, GERMANY — Hannover Medical School’s (MHH) Department of Otorhinolaryngology has developed an innovative implant designed to treat sudden deafness, winning the Start-Up Funding Competition. This groundbreaking project has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of sudden hearing loss.
The implant directly stimulates the auditory nerve and offers a new approach to treating sudden deafness, which often leaves patients with limited treatment options. The project, led by a team of experts at MHH, was recognized in the competition for its innovative approach and potential impact on patient care.
Implant Releases Active Ingredients Locally
Bacta Implants enables the targeted release of active substances into areas of the body that are difficult to access. The primary goal of this platform technology is to combat hearing loss. Using 3D printing with a bio-plotter, an elastic implant made from silicone is created, containing an active ingredient to treat hearing loss. This implant is precisely customized to the individual patient’s anatomy. It can be inserted under local anesthesia through a small incision in the eardrum, directly into the round window niche, which connects the middle ear with the inner ear.
Until now, sudden hearing loss has been treated with tablets or injections, but these methods have limitations. Only a small proportion of the active ingredients reach the inner ear, resulting in either insufficient healing or the need for higher doses, which can lead to undesirable side effects. “Both can be avoided with our implant because the active ingredient does not have to take a diversion and can be targeted to the right place,” emphasizes PD Dr. Scheper.
“This implant represents a significant step forward in the treatment of sudden deafness,” said Professor Thomas Lenarz, Director of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at MHH. He highlighted that the implant could be a game-changer in providing effective treatment for those affected by sudden hearing loss.
Dr. Verena Scheper wants to heal the consequences of sudden hearing loss with her round window implant. Image credit: Karin Kaiser / MHH
The Start-Up Funding Competition is known for identifying and supporting groundbreaking medical technologies with the potential to make a significant impact in the healthcare sector. The victory in this competition provides the MHH team with essential funding and resources to advance the development of their implant and move closer to clinical trials and widespread use.
“Winning this competition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team. We are excited to take the next steps in bringing this technology to patients who need it.”
–Prof. Thomas Lenarz
With the funding secured from the competition, the MHH team is well-positioned to advance their work on the round window implant (RNI). The implant has already shown promise in individual treatment trials, successfully addressing sudden hearing loss in patients. However, before PD Dr. Scheper and her colleagues from the ENT clinic can fully realize their vision by establishing a company and bringing this innovation to the market, they must first demonstrate the implant’s efficacy in delivering medication to the inner ear through a clinical trial.
“This first study is a prerequisite for us to be able to conduct a marketing authorization study,” says Dr. Scheper. The team is now thrilled that the prize money from the IBT start-up competition will provide the necessary financial support to achieve this critical milestone, moving one step closer to making the RNI a widely available treatment option for those affected by sudden deafness.
Source: MHH
