Frequency Therapeutics — Hearing Loss Regeneration

The number of SGN remains normal, even for people who were born deaf or with severe hearing loss. I don't remember the name of the study but it was posted by FGG. It showed that even 80 something years old people with severe hearing loss/deaf still have a normal amount of SGN.

 

Some encouraging news in these troubling times!

 

Bob Langer - What I Learned from Founding More...

This is why I believe Frequency will make a huge impact. David CEO, Jeff, Bob, and Will etc. The company has all the right people to make it work.

Anyone buying any stock?

 

Why do you think they waited until this stage to do the exploratory study? Wouldn't they want to know before Phase 1 or 2a to see if it even makes it into the cochlea?

 

Not mention tinnitus even once.

 

They only just started testing for tinnitus in Phase 2a. We will know more around October when they release results.

 

Hi @vttbx,

Actually I feel the exploratory study results is to supplement and strengthen investors confidence in the first quarter 2020 business update and nothing new was discovered that we already knew... I still really wish and hope that there is good news

 

I know. This product is intended to cure hearing loss, not tinnitus. In their phase 2a trial, they will however investigate the effect of FX-322 on tinnitus! Unfortunately nothing on hyperacusis.

 

They essentially did the same study already on explants. This is just more data using perilymph analysis which appears to be a new method.

 

There is something I'm unclear on, and I'll use myself as an example:

It seems, going by online frequencies generators that I can only hear up to around 9250-9500 Hz. After that I can't hear any frequencies. Does this mean that I will never be able to get any of this hearing back even with FX-322? Once it's totally gone, it's gone for good?

 

Already bought a bunch of FREQ stock. I am banking on their success for multiple reasons!

 

Recently suffered from SSHL (totally deaf in right ear) and been following this board for a few months. Awesome info guys!! 2 quick questions... FGG have you had a call with Frequency yet? I know you were gathering questions for Tinnitus Talk Podcast. Second I too would like to know if you guys have bought stock and if so how much? If this makes it through phase 3 the stock will go through the roof! Thanks again for all the info.

 

You need an extended audiogram to assess this better.

Frequency reportedly addresses up to moderately severe losses. Otonomy have a drug in pre-clinical for severe losses but that's probably 5-8 years away.

By the time you have profound losses, though, you have often lost too many support cells for this approach. There are some researchers working on profound losses, though. I corresponded with one who said it could be 15-20 years away, however because you have to first regenerate support cells (and their correct architecture) from so called "Flat epithelia". I have profound loss at my apex and around 13kHz and higher so I probably have to wait 15-20 years to hear music again (the apex losses severely distort it because I hear wobbly oscillations with no tone), assuming my KV3.1 channels and/or strial potassium channels aren't an additional hurdle. High dose Azithromycin toxicity is the devil.

At this point, I'm mostly cheering the rest of you on. I have semi given up for my own situation given just how destructive prolonged high dose Macrolides are.

We'll see if I make it until then.

 

I'm not doing the podcast. I just submitted ideas for questions and helped w wording. Frequency is not contacting me. That's a question for the mods. I do know there is still a COVID-19 related delay and I'm sure when they know more, they will announce it.

 

Yeah, I realise all that, but as I understand it there has got to be some level of hearing still there, ie see FGG's post.

I have a loss of 50 dB at 8000 Hz, which is moderate hearing loss, but then as I said at 9250-9500 Hz I hear nothing, but like you said I need to get my hearing checked properly.

Theoretically then, my tinnitus could then be in the range were I have no hearing, although an ENT suggested it maybe at the dips of 4000 Hz and 6000 Hz on my audiogram. Would improving my hearing <9500 Hz still have some effect on my tinnitus if it is caused by hearing loss above 9500 Hz? I find it hard to match my tinnitus to a frequency online.

Here we are waiting for a drug to help us, but it was drugs that in our case got us in this predicament in the first place.

 

I was thinking about buying Frequency Therapeutics stock just like @F-u-T.

How much do you think is reasonable to buy Into a biotech with no other drugs in their pipeline and their success being banked on FX-322 alone?

I know it's a very difficult question to answer, but in terms of investing money, I think it's sensible not to let your emotions get in the way (every single person reading this is rooting for their success not because they are invested, but because it may cure their hearing loss and tinnitus).

Also, I know far too well that this is a first of its kind, hearing restoration is something new and was once thought as an irreversible condition (yet to be proved it's reversible). I also know that tinnitus is incredibly stubborn and baffled researchers for years and years. I have read a lot and I have witnessed failure after failure.

Also, I remember when Auris Medical went public and it was 5.00 a share and now it is 1.07 a share. I really thought about investing in them not solely to profit, but because I was rooting for them to succeed. I never did invest though.

On a more positive side, it is obvious to Tinnitus Talk readers across the world that this is the company where their science makes the most sense. Not only that, but PCA can have have other benefits beyond hearing loss.

@Greg Sacramento I would appreciate your knowledge in trading your opinion and also @attheedgeofscience with your financial background.

I know all answers are speculation but it would be great if 3 great things happened; a cure for hearing loss, a cure for tinnitus and a little bit of money made.

Also, if you were going to invest, how much would you bet on this company? I figured that I would know when to pull out (stop-loss) because I literally keep up to date with the ear regeneration therapies all the time.

 

I would think you'd have to treat the area your tinnitus is in to be effective.

 

Couple of comments as someone with a finance background, six figure amount invested in the market and always happy to give some investing advice:

- No one can tell you whether FREQ will be a great investment. If they are succesful and can bring FX-322 to the market, it's reasonable to expect a tenbagger (x10) or even much more, a 6 billion dollar (currently 600 million) valuation for the sole company that can regenerate hearing isn't excessive at all. If the trail fails, they actually do have other products (MS) in the pipeline that could save the company long term. However you can reasonably expect that the stock will at least drop 50-90% that day.
- Considering the above, please forget about your stop loss. If the trial fails, the stock will drop significantly at market opening and you won't be able to sell your stocks at your stop loss price, but only much lower. Another bad thing about having a stop loss: stocks can drop 30% without reason, would you want to sell the stock then? No not at all, because the story hasn't changed. As long as the story doesn't change, there is no reason to sell a stock only because the share price has dropped.
- Biotechs without revenue typically dilute stockholders to raise extra cash in order to fund the research. That's why many biotech's share prices loses so much value over time, because they frequently issue new shares, reducing the ownership percentage of your shares, and are at the same time unable to bring its products to the market due to failure in clinical trails.
- I used to have biotech stocks, mostly with success. Made a 3 bagger and a 7 bagger amongst others. However I no longer invest in them as I don't have sufficient medical knowledge to assess the potential of these companies properly and in detail. It was probably more luck than anything else. I prefer stocks where I can reasonably assume that the price will go up over time because I understand them better.

I think FREQ is a great company though and possibly worth a bet as 1) the PCA platform may lead to additional products in the future 2) regenerating hearing is a huge market and should be highly profitable being the only game in town. If I would still invest in biotechs, I'd definitely buy some FREQ. How much? It depends on your risk appetite. Knowing that you might lose 90% or more of your investment (early stage biotech), but on the other hand could make ten times your money, how much of your current net worth would you put in such a stock? This also depends on your net worth obviously. If you are a millionaire, I wouldn't recommend putting 10% in this particular stock. If you have 5k, it's a different story as losing 500 dollars isn't life changing for most people... However most important of all, do your own research and don't solely rely on what other people say!!!

 

Does anyone know if they are still taking patients in the Colorado Springs testing site?

 

They are still recruiting at all the sites i believe but some may have a temporary hold on start time due to COVID-19. I would call and ask.

 

Many thanks for your valuable answer @Rubenslash.

 

@FGG or anyone else that knows this:

When doing a sine sweep or using a tone generator, I “feel” the highest frequencies more than I can “hear” it as a tone, except at the end when the tone stops. There isn’t much of a perceptual volume change even as the volume goes up. This occurs mostly in my left ear. What kind of damage is this?

 

I have the same thing at high frequencies and assume it's a combination inner hair cell loss and outer hair cell loss. Mine goes to profound loss in this range, which means i have lost all cell types, including support cells per a researcher I spoke to (she said "by the time you are in the profound range, you are left with "flat epithelia in that area."). This same researcher said those in the profound range are more likely to wait 15-20 years for treatment (vs other types which already have drugs in trial). Hopefully that isn't the case for you too but get an extended audiogram if you can.

 

Thanks! I think I might buy 1000 shares. If it makes it I win in two ways! Oddly enough I would rather have my hearing back in my ear than have $100k+. Thanks again.

 

Not odd at all. I would give both legs, my sight and all of my assets to have music back.

 

It looks like they are still recruiting in Colorado Springs. Interestingly the woman I was talking to expected there to be additional studies of different. FX-322 protocols in the near future.

 

Even if that researcher is correct, the good news is that anti-aging science and technology like CRISPR is coming a long way! I really think we're going to see our lifespans grow drastically in the next few decades...

You may have to wait a long time to totally get your life back (I know this is torture), but there's a good chance it won't be over for all intents and purposes by the time science catches up with your afflictions.

You might want to check out Dr. David Sinclair's research. The guy heads anti-aging research at Harvard... and coincidentally looks damn good for being fifty years old. He believes we'll actually be able to stop and even reverse aging within our lifetimes.

Hopefully, this prospect can help you and others to keep hanging in there.

This notion even helps me on bad days when I feel bummed out about having screwed up hearing in my mid 20's. I remind myself that I'll likely be able to take a pill and be 20 again one day - I view it all as a matter of patience.

 

Different protocols? Did she give any indication as to what she meant by this?

I keep hoping they'll launch a trial for a new formulation that reaches all of the frequencies of the inner ear. Pretty sure I have at least mild loss in the lower frequencies, it'd be ideal (and cost-effective) to get them all fixed with the 1st treatment, as opposed to getting injected again a year or two later.

 

What did she mean by that? Phase 2b?

 

I’ve never had an extended audiogram, but I’ve looked up the thresholds in dbSPL and used an app that kind of functions as an extended audiogram. I’m nearly certain that if I did have an extended audiogram to 16kHz, it would be normal.

My hearing starts declining around 13.5 to 14kHz, which is also my main tinnitus frequency. The frequencies that I feel more than hear are in the 17kHz range. I’m pretty much deaf past the low-mid 18kHz range where I can only hear the tone at the end. My right ear falls off a cliff after 16kHz. I can only hear higher if I crank the volume up.

I know my hearing is nowhere near as bad as some other people on this forum, but it still sucks that my hearing is below average for my age. (18 going on 19). I worry that by the time I’m in my 50s, my hearing will be bad enough for a hearing aid, as one of my teachers played drums for marching band and has hearing aids at 57. If FX-322 is successful, I really hope that it’ll be available to people with normal but subpar hearing for their age.