Akouos Discloses Lead Program, AK-OTOF, a Potential Gene Therapy Treatment for Sensorineural Hearing Loss
BOSTON, MASS. – Akouos, a precision genetic medicine company developing gene therapies to restore and preserve hearing, today disclosed its lead program, AK-OTOF, a gene therapy focused on restoring hearing in individuals with sensorineural hearing loss due to mutations in the otoferlin (OTOF) gene. Normal otoferlin function enables the sensory cells of the ear (hair…
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New Drug Under Development to Prevent Age-Related Hearing Loss
TAMPA, FLORIDA — The first ever medication to treat age-related hearing loss could potentially receive FDA approval through a comprehensive study being conducted at the University of South Florida. Robert Frisina, PhD, chair of the USF Medical Engineering Department and director of the USF Global Center for Hearing and Speech Research, and his team were…
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Hearing Loss in Middle Age Doubles Risk of Dementia: Study
Hearing loss in middle age was found to be associated with higher odds of cognitive decline and dementia later in life, according to a large study conducted in Taiwan published in JAMA Network Open on July 31st. Using data from more than 16,000 men and women, researchers found that a new diagnosis of hearing loss…
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New Study Examines Downstream Consequences of Hearing Loss in Older Adults
It is well-founded that age-related hearing loss is not a benign condition. Clinicians intuitively know this because they encounter older adults, nearly every day in their practice, who experience a gradual decline in social engagement, among several other downstream consequences, that result from hearing loss. A recent study provides additional insight on this common clinical…
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Researchers Find Proteins That May Hold Key to Restoring Inner Ear Hair Cells
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND — Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine, report that they have identified a pair of proteins that precisely control when hair cells (sound detecting cells) are born in the mammalian inner ear. The proteins, described in a report published June 12 in eLife, may hold a key to future therapies to restore hearing in…
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InnerScope Hearing Technologies Announces Plans To Launch Network of Hearing Screening Kiosks Nationwide
ROSEVILLE, CALIFORNIA — InnerScope Hearing Technologies Inc. has announced its plans to launch a “network of interactive fully automated Point of Sale Hearing Screening Retail Kiosks and Untreated Hearing Loss Information Centers to be located inside large major hospitals, sporting venues, and other public locations, grocery stores, chain retailers, local retailers, pharmacy chains, grocery stores,…
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New Harris Poll Survey Suggests Woodstock Generation’s Love of Loud Music May Have Lasting Consequences on Hearing Health
SOMERSET, NEW JERSEY — Fifty years after the iconic “Three Days of Peace and Music,” a just released survey by The Harris Poll, commissioned by Oticon, Inc., suggests that members of the Woodstock Generation may be experiencing unintended consequences of their love of hard-charging, culture-changing rock n’ roll. According to the online survey of more…
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Combined Vision and Hearing Loss May Increase Risk of Dementia
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA — Two studies reported at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2019 in Los Angeles found that experiencing multiple sensory impairments, such as vision and hearing problems, are associated with an increased risk of developing dementia in older adults. Emerging science shows that sensory dysfunction can increase the risk of dementia, and the new…
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Sound Pharmaceuticals Announces Encouraging Results in Meniere’s Disease Clinical Trial; May Go Public in 2020
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON — Biotech firm, Sound Pharmaceuticals, announced positive top-line results from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center Phase 2b study in Meniere’s Disease (MD). Evaluating SPI-1005 vs. Placebo in Meniere’s Patients In the study, 149 adult patients with active MD, including a hearing loss at baseline of >30 dB in one of three…
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Articles Offer Insights on Discussing Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline with Patients
By Brian Taylor, AuD, Editor-at-Large The relationship between hearing loss and cognitive ability has received considerable attention in the academic literature and professional publications over the past several years and for good reason. Both conditions are harmful, and because of the rapidly aging population becoming more prevalent and are likely, without improved intervention strategies, to…
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