MONTPELLIER, FRANCE — French hearing research company Cilcare has announced a strategic partnership with Sonup, a developer of digital hearing assessment technologies, aimed at improving how auditory data are collected, monitored, and analyzed in clinical research.
The collaboration will combine Sonup’s remote hearing assessment capabilities with Cilcare’s expertise in auditory neuroscience, therapeutic development, and clinical data analysis. The companies intend to use these technologies to support research into hearing loss and tinnitus, including the development of new treatments.
The agreement also represents the first step in Cilcare’s broader strategy to establish technology partnerships around its Synapsound AI™ clinical analytics platform.
Expanding Hearing Assessment Beyond the Clinic
One of the central objectives of the partnership is to expand opportunities for collecting hearing data outside traditional clinical settings.
Sonup develops digital hearing tests and assessment protocols designed to evaluate auditory abilities, including speech understanding in noise and binaural hearing. Some of its technologies allow individuals to complete assessments independently and remotely.
These capabilities could be particularly useful in clinical research, where investigators often need to monitor hearing performance repeatedly over extended periods.
Traditional audiological assessments generally require participants to visit a clinic or research facility. Remote testing could potentially reduce the burden of repeated visits while allowing researchers to collect additional information about changes in auditory function between scheduled appointments.
However, the reliability and clinical suitability of remote assessments depend on factors such as test design, equipment, environmental conditions, and the specific outcomes being measured.
Under the agreement, Cilcare plans to incorporate Sonup’s technologies into selected clinical research protocols based on individual study requirements. The companies will also collaborate on designing and validating new hearing assessments tailored to research applications.
Combining Hearing Data With AI-Based Analysis
A second focus of the collaboration involves using Cilcare’s Synapsound AI platform to analyze auditory measurements alongside other clinical and biological information.
Researchers increasingly recognize that conventional hearing thresholds alone may not fully characterize an individual’s auditory difficulties. Measures such as speech-in-noise performance and binaural hearing can provide additional information about functional hearing abilities.
Combining these measurements with other biomarkers may help researchers better characterize auditory disorders, monitor changes over time, and evaluate responses to investigational treatments.
Cilcare believes that integrating complementary data sources could strengthen its own therapeutic development programs while supporting research conducted by pharmaceutical, academic, and industry partners.
“With SONUP’s highly innovative solutions, patients can perform hearing tests at home, independently. Combined with SYNAPSOUND AI™, our clinical analytics platform, these data can be processed more rapidly and cross-referenced with other biomarkers, thereby contributing to the advancement of precision medicine”
–Jérôme Geoffroy, Chief Digital Officer at Cilcare
He added that the collaboration is intended to be the first of several partnerships designed to make auditory data more useful in therapeutic development.
Developing New Tools for Clinical Research
Beyond incorporating existing hearing tests into research protocols, the companies plan to jointly develop assessment methods that address specific clinical research needs.
This could be particularly relevant as investigational treatments for hearing disorders advance and researchers seek sensitive, repeatable measures of auditory function.
Maxime Balcon, CEO of Sonup, said the partnership will allow the company to evaluate its technologies in new research settings while developing additional assessment approaches.
“By working with CILCARE’s teams, we will be able to assess our solutions against new clinical needs while also jointly developing new assessment methods,” Balcon said.
For audiologists and hearing researchers, the collaboration reflects growing interest in combining functional hearing assessments, longitudinal monitoring, and computational analysis to better understand auditory disorders.
The companies have not announced specific clinical trials incorporating the combined technologies, nor have they provided a timeline for validating or introducing new assessments.
Both companies are headquartered in Montpellier, France, and indicated that additional joint research projects are under consideration.
About Cilcare
Cilcare is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in auditory science, including the development of drugs and diagnostic technologies intended to prevent and treat hearing disorders. The company conducts preclinical and clinical research supporting its own therapeutic pipeline and programs developed with industry and academic partners. Headquartered in Montpellier, France, Cilcare also maintains operations in the United States and Japan.
About Sonup
Founded in 2019 in Montpellier, Sonup develops hearing assessment technologies and digital testing solutions. Its products include hearing tests delivered through digital platforms and technologies integrated into existing audiometric equipment. The company serves hearing healthcare professionals, research organizations, and other healthcare-related organizations.
Source: Cilcare
