Inner Ear Hair Cell Regeneration — Maybe We Can Know More

Not exactly research oriented, but it's interesting that two stories on hearing issues were published in the popular press. The first is about hidden hearing loss http://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/cant-hear-in-noisy-places-its-a-real-medical-condition-1474909624, and the second is about potential drug treatments for hearing loss http://fortune.com/2016/09/26/hearing-loss-cure-biotech-startups/. If you follow these issues, there isn't anything new, but the press can't hurt.

 

http://fortune.com/2016/09/26/hearing-loss-cure-biotech-startups/
That is a very optimistic/ positive article!

 

Perhaps nothing new butyou may find interesting my mail exchange with Stephane Maison from Harvard (peer of Liberman):
"
SM:The idea is that - PERHAPS - cochlear neuropathy causes the central nervous system to compensate for the auditory information it no longer receives from the periphery (because those fibers are missing) causing the patient to have some tinnitus. It doesn't mean or suggest that all causes of tinnitus can be found at the peripheral level. Based on this hypothesis, if NT-3 can reconnect those fibers to the sensory cells in humans, then PERHAPS AGAIN - the central nervous system will turn its gain down with possible effects on tinnitus perception. So yes, these hypotheses are exciting but at this stage, it's speculation. It's part of our ongoing research.

Me: Based on your current knowledge will there be a specific therapeutic window (damage-treatment) for NT-3 to be effective or is it to early and you don't know yet?

SMefinitely too early to answer this question. First we need to establish a solid diagnosis of cochlear synaptopathy. Then, indeed, we will need to define a possible therapeutic window. (And then, investigate if treatment is effective). It's a long shot.

So in summary there are follwing next steps: Diagnostics (I've heard from Maison they should be ready with diagnostic platform summer / fall 2017), definition of therapetic window and then clinical trials).

I've read somewhere that cochlear synaptopathy may be a result of one-time noise exposure such as ie. rock concert, when hair cells remain intact but the synapses get damaged.

 

Step by step. Every little bit helps (-;
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161006101029.htm
Quote: The hearing-impaired mouse could also be a key to discovering treatment for acquired sensorineural hearing loss."
End quote
Acquired means repair after damage. Correct?

 

So if the find a way to regenerate hair cells in the inner ear, does that mean they will be futile if the synapses are cooked?

 

http://hearinghealthfoundation.org/blog?blogid=251

 

Yes but they talk about progressive hearing loss here, from unknown causes.

 

I think it was Action On Hearing loss where I read an article that regenerated hair cells made connections again.
Must have been in some poor mice where this was observed.

 

It also is sensorineural hearing loss. What I think means in the inner ear. NIHL is also sensorineural hearing loss if I understand correct. But acquired perhaps means without outside the body influences?
Anyway. Any bit of progress in understanding processes in the inner ear has to be a good thing.

 

Many poor mice and rats have allowed us to find cures and live longer, healthier lives. Even the foods you eat are tested this way at times. Remember that when purchase that bag of chips with ingredients you can barely pronounce!

 

Don't remind me
I just hope that eventually research will get so evolved, we can grow organs in the laboratory and we can depart from experimenting on animals.
A next step in human evolution?

 

I would agree, but every new treatment will be tested one way or another using other animals and mammals for many years to come. The ethical issue of using human genes to study new therapies with will be a long drawn out battle. This is why stem cell research is so rarely used this way. These cells borderline on human.

However if you like to look far into the future, when cars hover on magnetite forces and drive on the "skyway", I am sure ultra technical computing will replace rats!

 

Yes, to me too, sensorineural HL means in the inner ear. For sure it's a good thing to understand one more mechanism.

 

I hope and actually expect a little bit sooner. Not much, but sooner nevertheless.
An inner ear is a complex organ. Yet The Petri dish inner ear is already here and obviously needs improving.

 

You're looking at practically "light years" away in the future when the monetary system on earth finally changes and no man get paid a fee. A time when the human race strives to survival and beyond as a collective goal. A time everyone will have his lodging and clothing like any other man or woman. Until then, mice are our labs..... unfortunately.

 

Good chuckle on that one. That is but one small example of a million mice who sacrificed to get to this stage. Not to say your a dreamer on being any changes sooner, and I would love to see it come to that, but not in many lifetimes I'm afraid. Some day you will be able to open your laptop and do your own body scan, get the results and download the "repair app" and beam yourself healthy again lol. The way technology is advancing and issues with testing and approvals, I think we might be looking at the year 3500 and beyond..........

 

hearinghealthfoundation.org/blog?blogid=251
Excellent!
I need a few "good news" releases every months to keep me going.
To me it looks like a robust solution. Understanding this Wnt signalling and make use of it for regeneration.
Not using support cells alone, but first replace them and than make them into hair cells.
Still must be so far away

 

Ah yes, even when they have that figured out, comes the testing, approvals, laws, etc before it will be considered as a viable treatment. Everything we read in research is miles away from today. This is our system, designed to protect us from pseudo science.

 

To much effort is going into making useless applications.
The evolution of the human spirit is not holding up with the speed of gained knowledge.
And above sentence is an indication that English is not my mother tongue
Also we need a thread for philosophy

 

lol indeed

 

https://www.actiononhearingloss.org...y+7s4djoq+uk1ektpzrl422e0bgvporlpcwvk6yt0cs35

I'm just getting ready to read, but Nic if you see this it sounded like they talk about auditory nerve damage.

 

I think you might be amazed how fast things can go once there are clear indications that there's money to be made. We are currently dealing with both an upcoming babyboom generation increasingly dealing with the consequences of "age related hearing loss" and an upcoming generation of younger people having to face the consequences of "noise-induced hearing loss" due to the popularity of personal music devices and increasingly louder concerts.

You already see the signs that they are wanting to jump onto this untapped money-wagon, as hearing-loss related drugs (like AM-101) get fast-tracked more easily. This fast-track designation can considerably speed things up for potential drugs or treatments to make it to market. The same might very well happen with, for example, RL-81 or SF00034, as those drugs are derived from the already FDA-approved Retigabine previously used for Epilepsy.

Things might go faster than you think. There is much money waiting for the first pioneer who comes up with anything reasonably effective.

 

Can someone please give a realistic expectation (with some data backing it up) indicating when a hearing loss treatment is likely to come out? Is it realistic to believe that one will come out in 10 years or less? What companies are working on one (outside GenVEC)? When do they realistically believe there product will come to market?

I could care less about the ringing if I can get my basic hearing back to what it was before. I just want normal hearing between the ranges on the audiogram again.

 

One can only go by observing what is going on for determining what is realistic or not. Even then, it is a matter of opinion and speculation, as there just is no hard data to go by. In my opinion though, and by reading and noticing what happens in the market, it might be realistic to expect at least something within the next 10-15 years. Like I said; the current generation of babyboomers is a great opportunity for them to make money. I am sure they wouldn't want to wait for that opportunity to pass by (that generation going extinct), without making some great money off of them first.

Add to that the extra bonus of (young) noise-induced sufferers, and you have a pretty big potential market certainly catching their interest. The incentive is there. The technology is also there. In some cases, the science is there as well. I think it mostly depends on the (continued) funding of the innovative projects going on currently.

I'd say; we stand a good chance and things look better than ever. No one would be able to give you any certain hard timeframes however. It is all speculation. But hey; I want to believe!

 

Yes I think there is a good chance of restoring some hearing loss within 10 years.

The reason I think that there seems to be different products/companies trying different approaches. So it's not like they are trying the same approach. Genvec for example might have a product within 3-5 years.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...els-gene-therapy-to-help-reverse-hearing-loss

 

Also, don't forget about Audion Therapeutics working on the LY411575 compound against hearing loss.

http://cen.acs.org/articles/92/i14/Sound-Science.html

 

Any new news about hearing loss cures? I always see dead threads about drugs that are discontinued starting up again for no reason, why care about a drug that is just discontinued ?

Anyways, any new drug timelines out there by chance for hearing loss? Any new hopes for hearing loss being cured?

 

There doesnt seem to be any more new information that has come out over the last several months. I usually check every week or so and I know others do too and post on this thread.

I think now that private companies are involved we are going to be hearing less and less since any leaking of information would only help a competitor. I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but it is what it is.

 

Naturally I would like to think this is a good thing.
On the other hand, non commercial researchers and/or foundations are also somewhat quit.
I suppose it is in waves.

 

No.

Check again in 2021, and then again in 2026