Hough Ear Institute's Hair Cell Regeneration Project

Found this:

Technology Innovator of the Year – Hough Ear Institute

 

I’m gonna keep roasting Hough because it’s hilarious.

 

What innovation have Hough Ear Institute come up with in 2022? The ability to deceive through smoke and mirrors.

Non-profit blah blah blah.

 

Several billions of dollars? Really? How about trillions (with an 's' at the end). Second most important sense that everyone above the age of a newborn could have improvement whether tinnitus, hearing loss, hyperacusis, noxacusis...

See that thread about how much you would give to just get rid of tinnitus, most everyone says everything, EVERYTHING!

 

I think the problem is that even if there are many with hearing related problems, the vast majority don't have any issues and cannot relate very much since it's an ”invisible” condition. But oh my what a life changing condition it can be for those of us who know what it's about.

I still think it's surreal how it's about one and a half years ago now since my truly intrusive tinnitus started (wish I could go back to just having my two milder ones which I didn't like either) but it feels like it's been going on forever. Thinking about those who had it for several decades. We have to find a fix!

 

It's crazy if you think about it though. There are so many people who would benefit from these treatments.

All those musicians would, and no I'm not talking about just the musicians themselves, but their perspective audience. If we had cures, actual cures, for tinnitus and hearing loss, how many people would start listening to music again, when it sounds clear and undistorted? It's just such a huge difference listening to music even with slight hearing loss. Just from that alone, a rush to enjoy music again, would see revenue be WAY MORE than Hough Ear Institute's estimate. They're not looking at it from a macroeconomic standpoint.

 

I know we all have our reservations about Hough Ear Institute, but they just posted their 2022 recap which talks about the first person dosed with NHPN-1010 thru the FDA's Compassionate Use program. Obviously take this person's story with a grain of salt, but tinnitus resulting from removal of an acoustic neuroma is usually pretty bad because the procedure generally results in a loss of all residual hearing.

Compassionate Use came up months ago, but we never really got any solid answers about that. If the video's true, then maybe others can pursue it as well with their doctor/neurologist/ENT/etc.

I still have some hope for Hough Ear Institute as there is that collaboration between Boehringer Ingelheim and Autigen/Otologic/Hough Ear Institute to develop this compound.

Hough Ear Institute 2022 Recap

 

Go read my previous posts. I was next in line for the drug until their partner Oblato shut it down. They parted ways so the compassionate use trial for the drug was halted. Whoever they gave it to I guarantee is not even close to the crap that I have, yet he deserves it but I don’t along with other people here. I despise Hough Ear Institute and they are built on false promises. Taking donations and doing absolutely nothing.

Anyways, a pill cannot regenerate hearing. It has to be a shot like FX-322 or OTO-413. The concentration won’t go to the inner ear. I can’t believe Hough Ear Institute are still going on about how amazing their drug is that they only allowed one person to take.

 

Sorry to hear man, that's pretty ridiculous that you were so close only for them to turn you away like that. It's sad that they supposedly have something but only keep toying around about it. I'd like to hope that the Boehringer Ingelheim venture goes somewhere since that's involving big pharma.

 

Considering the consequences they'd have for fraud, and the amount of time they've put into this, I'm hopeful that there's some truth into what they're saying, but there's still always the possibility that they're digging a grave.

What if their hearing loss pill actually does repair the ribbon-synapse and the cochlear hair cells that are still functioning but damaged? I highly doubt they actually regenerate the hair cells themselves, but there might be something to this. Only time will tell.

I just want both sides of hearing loss to be treatable. I don't know what's going on with my left ear, but it's driving me nuts, and I need something that gives me hope that they can be addressed without a hearing aid.

 

Yeah, well, it probably doesn’t do a whole lot. I hope FX-322 has some good results. That’s something we all need right now; a hearing regeneration medicine that works. Dr. Susan Shore’s device definitely seems like it helps tinnitus but I can’t use it with noxacusis. My tinnitus is decently loud but I can deal with it. Hopefully one day we can all get a treatment and make this go away forever.

It probably helps protect ears from damage. I’ve been in the game for 7 years now. In 2016 Hough Ear Institute was still talking about doing their Phase 2 for their amazing hearing loss drug. I would love to get nerve regeneration because that’s what I need. Severe noxacusis really sucks man. Double protection, in a room 24/7 just to keep the pain below a 7. 3-4 different tones in both ears, pulsatile tinnitus in both. Deep stabbing and razor wire pain in my left ear. #nightmare

 

I'm sorry but Hough Ear Institute has not achieved anything in 7+ years as far as tinnitus and hearing loss goes. They have siphoned money from people and not progressed anything into human clinical trial. It's sad to see this thread resurrected just because the leadership team have spouted a load of nonsense on a video.

Their Bomb Blast pill was only ever designed as an otoprotective or, worst case, ACUTE treatment. The testimony is meaningless. Hough Ear Institute have nothing to offer this community!

 

I found further information on their website about the NHPN-1010 launch:

"One of the aims of the research at HEI is to move the findings from the research bench to the clinic. Accordingly, the demonstration of the effectiveness of a combination of antioxidants on preventing hearing loss in animal models justified the funding of preclinical studies in humans and Phase I of FDA trials has now been completed. Our aim is to be able to obtain FDA approval within the next 3-5 years so that exposures to acoustic trauma both in civilian and military life need not lead to permanent hearing loss."

Source

 

Yeah, they are at the completed Phase 1 stage since 2014. They are a lost cause. Don't give your money to them lol.

 

Hough Ear Institute are a write off for me and that depresses me.

 

Why? They mentioned their timeline on the Tinnitus Talk Podcast. Everything is according to plan... They stated that they are planning to release NHPN-1010 in the mid-2020s.

 

Release it without human trials? They've not even begun trials. It just sits there whilst they beg for money!

 

It shows they did a Phase I trial already and are doing Phase II now. Not everything shows up on ClinicalTrials.gov I believe.

But, I feel like they are going to be the underdog that hasn't been noticed much here next to all the Frequency Therapeutics talk on Tinnitus Talk. I consider it a pretty big deal that out of 73 submissions to The Department of Defense's Hearing Research Program, theirs was the only selected.

However, I'm pretty pissed the DoD could only muster up a $1.9M grant? That's fucking peanuts.

 

@LostinTX, where is this ongoing Phase 2?

 

And up they pop again.

How NHPN-1010 Completely Changed My Life

Anyone got any spare change for this lovely 'we are a non-profit' organisation?

It would be nice to speak to him.

 

This is a dead company that finished the Phase 1 trial in 2014. They won’t be starting anything.

 

I agree, they have done nothing in 7 years. Did they actually do a human study on hearing loss and tinnitus?

 

I’m not 100% sure, but if you read the earlier pages, it was mentioned that they sold it to Oblato but then something came up and they haven’t started the Phase 2 trial yet. I would consider this company a dead end.

 

It is dead. Oblato bought it, then gave it back to Hough Ear Institute. I think it's only for ACUTE tinnitus.

 

I didn’t know they gave it back to Hough Ear Institute.

 

Can HPN-07 still be researched for hearing loss prevention by another company or does Hough Ear Institute have exclusive rights to this?

I would like something like that in the market. I lost hearing in my left ear so fast. Apparently it's not exactly easy to completely avoid noise-induced hearing loss if one ear is more susceptible to it.

I would rather HPN-07 be researched on by a company that had more money to burn. Enough capital to where they'd be able to screw up, correct, and start again until they reached a conclusion that was irrefutable. I'd also rather if they were faster.

 

@Brian Newman, I emailed a little back and forth with Ashley Everett of Hough Ear Institute mentioning this thread and that some here are suspicious about Hough Ear Institute’s intentions. I also mentioned you Brian and that you seem to have a really hard time (I have a hard time myself suffering large parts of the day, but you definitely seem worse).

She informed me a bit about the current status of their projects etc. I think it’s easier if I simply post Ashley’s response here:

“I’m sorry that’s the vibe on Tinnitus Talk, but it’s best for us to stay away from it. We are a very small institute and if I took time to respond to every comment about HEI online (even just the upset ones) that would be all I do. I know Justin spent time on it, but that’s not our policy moving forward. There are a lot of misconceptions that just cannot be cleared up in a social media situation (especially if it’s not what people want to hear) without vitriol. It’s unfortunate, but it seems to be human nature on the internet.

I can sympathize with this Brian Newman fellow because I have tinnitus, too, and it affects my sleep and ability to hear in crowded spaces. I can’t even imagine how infuriating and even painful it is to have debilitating tinnitus and understandably, he is very frustrated. It’s people like him – real people who are hurting – who motivate us to find solutions. Grace upon grace for him and anyone else who is upset. I would hope they would also remember HEI is run by actual humans trying their very best to get a treatment for tinnitus to market and offer hope where we can. This isn’t just “Hough Ear Institute,” it’s Matt, Ashley, Weihua, Don, Pam, Richard, Jianzhong, Agnes, etc. We are real people with a passion to bring relief to those who need it.

I will, however, give you a rundown of what he has incorrectly assumed and empower you to respond if you so choose: AOK-1 is our hearing regeneration therapeutic, not NHPN-1010. AOK-1 is licensed by Boehringer Ingelheim and we are working on an IND for submission into Phase I clinical trials as we speak. AOK-1 is also an injection, not a pill. AOK-1 addresses lost/damaged cochlear hair cells through regeneration... which we have successfully done in adult mammals. A photo of one of our regenerated hair cell bundles appeared on the cover of Molecular Therapy (attached is the image of that cover) which was the catalyst for BI licensing it.

NHPN-1010 is a pill and is a nerve repairing, hearing protectant that can address hearing loss due to nerve damage and tinnitus. This is not a hearing restoration therapeutic, but it can restore hearing if only the ribbon synapses are damaged, not the cochlear hair cells.

HEI takes private donations for preclinical work not covered by pharmaceutical companies during clinical development (clinical trials/human testing). Once we license our technology for clinical trials, the timeline is in the hands of the company who licensed it, not us. It is also their prerogative whether or not to offer it for expanded access through the FDA and/or approve supplying it to each individual patient wanting it. It’s not HEI denying anyone access to NHPN-1010. It’s in our best interest to get it to more people, not less! We want it in clinical trials yesterday, but as explained in my last email, that kind of budget is not feasible for us. If he would like to reach out to Elaine Hamm at Otologic Pharmaceutics, Inc. she can explain the licensing process in more detail and how it works for NHPN-1010 specifically. That’s her area of expertise.”​

 

Well, I am glad we finally have this context.

Forums can really be a huge game of telephone. I'm not going to pretend I know anything about this field, but I do know that a lot of misinformation can pile up from many posts over time. Truth can get lost in translation, especially if there's lack of important context.

It does sound like they may have not done the best job at communicating things though.

 

Could someone please explain the difference, and how you'd know the difference?

 

So Hough Ear Institute spend years developing something that they claim works and then they license it to a company that does nothing to drive it forward or get it to market.

Why don't they be more careful about how / who they license it to?

Surely they can stipulate some stuff, like if they don't progress it in a timeframe specified, they lose the license.

It makes no sense to continually research stuff that never actually materialises to anything???

Or am I missing a key point of understanding