Prestigious Kavli Prize in Neuroscience Awarded to Trio of Researchers for Work on Molecular and Neural Mechanisms of Hearing
OSLO, NORWAY — The Kavli Prizes recognize scientists for pioneering advances and are presented every two years in the fields of astrophysics, nanoscience and neuroscience. Laureates are chosen by committees whose members are recommended by six of the world’s most renowned science societies and academies. This year, a trio of scientists have been awarded the 2018…
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Cochlear Architecture Critical Part of Hair Cell Regeneration
The ability to restore hearing by regenerating outer hair cells in the cochlea of the inner ear, sometimes referred to as biological solutions for hearing loss, has shown success in restoring hearing sensitivity in animal studies. New research, however, indicates that restoring hearing is more than regenerating lost or damaged outer hair cells. In a…
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Hearing Aids Slow Down Cognitive Decline, Says New JAGS Study
The relationship between cognitive ability and hearing aid use in older adults has drawn considerable interest over the past several years for obvious reasons: Many nations around the world are coping with a growing aging population, along with many of the consequences that accompany it. Hearing loss and cognitive decline being two of the common…
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Scientists Regenerate Cochlear Hair Cells in Guinea Pigs Using RNA Injection
The cochlear hair cells of humans and other mammals–unlike some animal species (like birds for example)–cannot be restored after damage. Recent research has indicated, however, that manipulation of signaling pathways could lead to hair cell regeneration. Using a sustained-release formulation of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) delivered via nanoparticles into the cochlea of noise-injured guinea pigs,…
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USC Scientists Develop Method to Repair Damage to Cochlea
Recent research indicates hearing loss is expected to nearly double in 40 years. This figure includes individuals who suffer from the condition of “hidden hearing loss,” which is generally defined to be damage to the inner ear that leads to difficulty hearing soft voices in the presence of background noise, but an audiogram within the…
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Cochlear Ltd Pledges $10 million to Johns Hopkins to Fund Hearing Loss and Public Health Research
CENTENNIAL, COLORADO — Cochlear Limited announced that it will be pledging a gift of $10 million to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to establish the Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health. According to the announcement, the new Center will be led by Dr. Frank Lin and will be the first of…
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Frequency Therapeutics Announces Successful Completion of First-in-Human Study of FX-322, Company’s Leading Candidate for Hearing Restoration
WOBURN, MASSACHUSSETTS – Biotech startup, Frequency Therapeutics, announced late last month the successful completion of a first-in-human study of the company’s investigative compound FX-322, the company’s lead Progenitor Cell Activation (PCA) candidate for hearing restoration. The preliminary results were recently presented at a lecture last month at the US-Japan Symposium on Drug Delivery. According to…
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Boston-Based Biotech, Akouos, Nets $7.5M Investment to “Restore and Preserve Hearing”
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS — Biotechnology startup, Akouos, announced that it has raised $7.5 million in seed funding. The company, which was spun out of the Harvard Innovation Labs, is developing novel therapies and delivery systems to prevent hearing loss and restore hearing in genetically defined populations. New Enterprise Associates (NEA), who led the seed funding along…
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Using Laser Light to Restore Sound: Researchers Develop Optical Cochlear Implant
European engineers from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria have invented a new type of cochlear implant. Unlike traditional cochlear implants that stimulate auditory nerves with electrical fields, the prototype device uses laser pulses to trigger auditory signals from hair cells in the inner ear. The benefit, say the researchers, is a much more focused device that…
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University of Maryland Receives $8 Million Federal Grant for Hearing Loss Research
COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND — Researchers at the University of Maryland, using an $8 million grant from The National Institute on Aging, are collaborating to investigate hearing loss and brain function. The five-year grant will fund three such projects at the university, which researchers hope to begin as soon as possible. It is estimated that there…
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