USC Stem Cell Researchers Find Simpler Way to Make Inner Ear Hair Cells
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA — Scientists from the USC Stem Cell laboratories of Neil Segil and Justin Ichida have found a simpler way to generate the sensory cells of the inner ear. Their approach uses direct reprogramming to produce sensory cells known as “hair cells,” due to their hair-like protrusions that sense sound waves. The study was published this…
Read More
New Study Charts Developmental Map of Inner Ear Sound Sensor in Mice
BETHESDA, MARYLAND — A team of researchers has generated a developmental map of a key sound-sensing structure in the mouse inner ear. Scientists at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), part of the National Institutes of Health, and their collaborators analyzed data from 30,000 cells from mouse cochlea, the snail-shaped structure…
Read More
New Stem Cell Study Offers Insights on How to Potentially Restore Hearing
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA — Researchers at USC have found that the Yap/Tead protein complex plays a major role in the developmental of the inner ear. This important protein sends signals to the hearing organ to attain the correct size during embryonic development, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy…
Read More
Researchers Use Advanced 3D Imaging to Map Blood Vessels of the Inner Ear
Swedish and Canadian researchers have used an advanced 3D imaging technique, synchrotron X-rays, to three-dimensionally map the blood vessels of the inner ear. To be able to study the blood vessels in the inner auditory organ, the researchers used the synchrotron system in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The system, which is one of eight in the…
Read More
Oblato Biotech Company Acquires Hearing Loss Drug Discovered by Hough Ear Institute Scientists
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA — Hough Ear Institute (HEI), a nonprofit based in Oklahoma City, has annoucned that its pharmaceutical partner, Auditus LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Otologic Pharmaceutics Inc. (OPI), has entered into an agreement with Oblato Inc. Oblato assumes exclusive rights to a drug known as NHPN-1010 to advance clinical research aimed at preserving and…
Read More
Researchers Prevent Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in Mice Using Drug Compound
Loud noise can damage the inner ear and cause hearing loss. Studying mice, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Iowa have shown that a drug compound can block damage caused by loud noise, raising the possibility of medication that prevents noise-induced hearing loss. The study is published…
Read More
Study Points to Possible New Therapy Approach for Hearing Loss Treatment
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK — In a new study published this week in the European Journal of Neuroscience, scientists have been able to regrow the sensory hair cells found in the cochlea. The research may help pave the way for new approaches to restoring lost hearing. Research conducted in the lab of Patricia White, Ph.D., lead author of…
Read More
Frequency Therapeutics Completes Enrollment in Safety Trial for Hearing Restoration Drug Candidate, FX-322
WOBURN, MASSACHUSSETTS – Biotech startup, Frequency Therapeutics, announced this week the completion of enrollment in the single dose safety trial to evaluate FX-322, the company’s leading drug candidate for hearing restoration. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial will be assessing the safety of a single dose of FX-322 given by intratympanic administration in adult patients with…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More