Inner Ear Hair Cell Regeneration — Maybe We Can Know More

Who's Charlie?
Also, does is anyone aware of whether is Decibel actually currently trialing anything specific, or do they at least have some specific project that we know of?

 

I was being silly, he is the Founder of Decibel Therapeutics a bio tech trying to tackle hearing loss and a range of other oto-neurological disorders that plague the inner ear.

His study on hidden hearing loss helped explain a lot about how most audiograms are inaccurate
https://decibeltx.com/about-us/founders/

 

https://www.actiononhearingloss.org...for Deaf People&dm_i=45UF,AMQA,14ZO5H,160YR,1

New article:
Discovering the genes that cause hearing loss – why does it matter?

 

Some new findings in inner ear regeneration:
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/novel-drug-therapy-partially-restores-hearing-mice

 

Wow! I didn't realize he's only 31!

 

This isn't hair cell regeneration, it's repairing damage by turning off a bad gene.

 

Exciting new tool for research.
https://hearinghealthfoundation.org/blogs/a-powerful-new-bioinformatics-tool

 

Part I & II of the Novartis hearing regeneration trial seem to be finished, now they are recruiting for part III for highest dose defined as safe.
At least they are still working on it probably with encouraging results.

http://www.trials.novartis.com/en/clinical-trials/hearing-restoration-clinical-trial/

 

Encouraging stuff...

I just realized that I’m sticking around at the forum even though I don’t need the daily support anymore.

I’m sticking around to read about all the groundbreaking and nobel-prize-worthy work reported here... Without getting T I never even would have known the efforts being done to find a cure. I figured hearing aids were the only way for deaf people.

If a cure for deafness is born in the next five years, I feel so privileged to having witnessed its’ conception... and its’ birth!

Keep posting the news guys!

 

That's why science is freaking awesome and things like TRT, CBT and The levo system are rotten garbage

 

They take supporting cells and turn them into new hair cells. Some of the information we have seen from Frequency says that once you go severe/profound there are no supporting cells left. This study is for severe/profound loss. Maybe I am missing something but how does this work then. It is good news that they are still continuing. I wonder if this works best with those that have moderate loss? but again to lose your supporting cells is probably not the best idea.

Also, it seems they have concluded that those that got the highest dose got the best results. We did read some stories of people that didnt benefit and those that did. Maybe those that benefitted got the highest dosage. It is encouraging.

 

novartis.com/en/clinical-trials/hearing-restoration-clinical-trial/
"the drug will be initially administered to the inner ear using a surgical procedure."

So it is initially. They are thinking about other ways?
Perhaps less invasive like FT is proposing?
Also interesting to see if Novartis will be the first.

 

I guess this trial is more like a proof of concept trial and won't be mainstream treatment.
If they can show hearing threshold enhancement it would be exciting that hair cell regeneration
might be possible in some degree. I guess, this trial was initiated with the knowledge achieved in 2013,
so there has been many more other findings since then which would be anyway better.
Also the delivery looks little too complex with drilling a hole...there are probably better ways inbetween.

I read about the Action on Hearing Loss Summit, where a speaker from Novartis talked about their
trial, unfortunately I can't find what he discussed... someone knows?
https://www.actiononhearingloss.org...anslational-hearing-research-summit/speakers/

 

here, I found a little summary:
https://www.tinnitus.org.uk/conference-report-translational-hearing-research-summit

 

So is this a treatment to be excited about? Are they allowed to update any aspects of the trial such as the way the drug enters the ear, or does the FDA not allow any modifications?

 

What if it turns out Frequency has a more efficient drug, but Novartis has a better way to navigate the cochlea, will both trials fail or succeed with mediocrity all because they are not allowed to change initial ideas?

Why isn't hearing loss science open source like Linux and certain computer software?

@threefirefour needs to weigh in on this issue and how capitalism and science aren't compatible and science should work like open source computing.

 

Imagine if Frequency and Novartis openly shared there ideas with as many scientist as possible on how to regenerate hearing and navigate the cochlea to weigh in on other opinions and have the best ideas possible. Instead of business men buying scientist to compete with each other for the exact same goal that humanity needs.

Capitalism works very well when it comes to food, clothing, cars, technology but it doesn't fair to well when it comes to science and healthcare.

 

Capitalism is what's driving these efforts. Whenever the profit incentive is missing, the probability that people’s wants can be safely ignored is the greatest. Thank goodness we have an environment where scientists can compete against each other. Competition brings out the best in people. These companies also do not operate in a vacuum. If resources are required from the competition to achieve the end goal (profit), a coordinated effort will ensue.

 

But this is how economy is working. It's exciting how many companies doing research for hearing/tinnitus came up, maybe 30 in the last 15 years.
It's always high risk to invest in biotech startups until there is a blockbuster application on the horizon.
So the most important for all hearing programs is a positive outcome in any of the research areas in the hearing field.
Until now, not one causal therapy for the inner ear is on the market...
So it is still exciting that there are already 3 trials aiming regeneration are in clinical trial.

 

How so? that's what i'm concerned about knowledge not being accessible because there work is closed source.

 

In that case Frequency could pay Novartis to make use of their delivery method.

 

Frequency could already proof delivery of FX-322 and it's bioavailability in Phase I.
There are also other delivery solution which may look promising like the micropump from Draper Lab.
I to initiate hair cell regeneration and connect precisely to the auditory system will be more likely the problem to solve.

 

but wouldn't both trials fail, since the FDA probably doesn't allow even slight modification for any trial.

 

Do clinical trials become treatments within 5-10 years, or is it just a trial and error process that takes a better part of a century? If so even waiting till 2030 makes me want to off myself.

 

When a medical breakthrough becomes a corporate secret that cannot be openly shared with other scientist theres a problem.

 

If you know they have a treatment and you just have to wait, the wait will be much different.

 

Does the Novartis treatment work off of supporting cells? How is it different than the Frequency Therapeutic treatment?

 

Frequency divides the supporting cells before differentiation!
Thus, it can probably be used several times

 

No business in their right mind is going to share their industry secret, otherwise what's the point of invention? Don't wait for a T cure to come out for the common good of society, versus profit motive. It'll never happen. I want the person who cures T and/or hearing loss to reap all the profits associated. There's a huge carrot dangling out there for the winner of this race