Otomagnetics — A New Drug Delivery System for the Inner and Middle Ear

http://otomagnetics.net/

“Otomagnetics, a University of Maryland College Park spin-out, is developing a non-invasive method to deliver drugs and other therapeutic payloads to inner and middle ear compartments, to the eye, and into the skin.

The inner ear is behind the blood-labyrinth barrier – vessels that supply blood to the inner ear have walls that are impermeable to most drug molecules, and thus it is a challenge to deliver therapy to treat inner ear diseases. Otomagnetics’ proprietary magnetic injection system has demonstrated drug delivery to the inner ear in animal models.

Otomagnetics’ technology has further shown drug delivery to the middle ear in animal models without the need to puncture the eardrum. Magnetic delivery to the middle ear may provide a non-invasive treatment use. In the future, the Otomagnetic’s technology may be investigated for delivering therapy into the eye, without needles.”


How the technology works:

Otomagnetics Magnetic Injection Technology

There is potential to use this as a mode of delivery for the upcoming Frequency Therapeutics treatment drug for hearing loss called FX-322: http://www.frequencytx.com/news-events/news-events-press-release-10-4-2018.php

Perhaps after more testing we will find out how much hearing loss has an effect on tinnitus and what further research needs to be expanded upon.

Inteview with co-founder of Otomagnetics:

Dr. Benjamin Shapiro, Co-founder of...

 

This is 3 years old! When will this be used!

 

Maybe when there’s a medicine that works. I’m not sure though really

 

They only have 9 employees on their LinkedIn, it doesn't look like they've really taken off yet.

 

available in the year 2088!
is it just me or is the pace of technological innovation much slower than it was 60 years ago?

 

Hahah, maybe we'll get something on our deathbed if we're lucky!

 

So much FDA redtape, so much people not caring about bi0-tech innovation.

ENTs and audiologists don't want people to know about hearing loss bio-tech, they want to sell you hearing aids and pretend hidden hearing loss doesn't exist.

The reality is because hearing loss/tinnitus is more common in the older generation they are a bit more passive about the problem. I mean getting hearing loss at 20 is different than getting it at 65.

 

What if the solution is an injection that has fx322 and the 7,8 DHF and we can cure hearing loss and associated tinnitus? Why does this have to take so long?

 

The problem in a nutshell. And it's very, very disgusting.

 

Anyone that purposefully holds back awareness of cures and the research towards it to protect their niche is an evil person plain and simple.

 

In my opinion, you cannot hurry up the treatments because they need to be tested. I mean, Frequency Therapeutics is cool but there is still a chance that these progenitor cells can lead to tumors or can start growing uncontrollably...

This is why, I personally would not like to participate in their trials... who knows what can happen.

Unfortunately, science needs time to test its theories... Have patience people.

 

I love these forums and all of you guys. How we can just be real and understand the frustrations we all have. I’ve often thought some of these same things expressed here.

I watch documentaries where there were huge advancements in medicine because they were trying things and not having to go through such strict rules of the FDA and I get frustrated about the slow pace of finding a cure. Then I hear about some new and improved type of hearing aid and I want to scream.

 

Don’t investors need something to deliver before investing in expensive new delivery methods?

Watch this take off as soon as FX Therapeutics or one of their “competitors” develop a cure... it can be used for FX 2.0: to safely delivery of their cure.

 

Scream for joy?

 

Well they won't make any money off of you getting cured, they want you to come back...it is a business model and it victimizes everyone with these kinds of problems. When you have a chronic condition like Tinnitus, you are desperate to try (and pay) for anything.

 

Cash can lubricated the process.

 

Scream for ice cream.

 

Kinda like the conspiracy theory of big pharma suppressing cancer cures? Please...

https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Big_Pharma

 

Bwahahahaha!!!!!!! Wow. Rationalwiki.................

 

No. By hearing loss A) the claim is lesser B) the evidence is much greater.

The claim by cancer is that big pharma is actively preventing cures from being found.
There is no direct evidence of this (afaik).

The claim by hearing loss is that ENTs and AUDs do not know much of and/or care about "hidden" hearing loss + hearing regeration, and rely on simplistic and dated equipment (250-8000 hz audiogram), maintaining status quo.
This is common fact.

 

This I agree with, as this day and we have the technology to go to 16-20kHz with reduced standing waves.

 

Nah, the screaming would hurt my ears with the new hearing aids

 

If we can test the full frequency range of noise on computer speakers, there is no reason they shouldn't test in there. Perhaps they don't want people realizing that their hearing aids are actually damaging their hearing in the non tested frequencies.

 

Are there even any hearing loss drugs yet that are nano size? If they already have nano drugs that can pass through the tempanic membrane then gravity could also be used to administer it. Sorry but to me this seems like a dumb idea. The best idea would be a hearing loss drug that's non toxic and can be take orally. That way it gets in the blood and can circulate into more parts of the cochlea. Going through the tempanic membrane and then the round window membrane is going to be very difficult.

 

Hey everyone! Here's some recent updates to Otomagnetics progress!

Using Nanotechnology to Treat Ear &...

 

Great to hear some good news...

Successful delivery!

Now all we need is a pharmaceutical that will fix the works. Synapses, IHCs or OHCs or whatever.

 

Frequency Therapeutics drug FX-322 works! Their trials had difficulties because of their injection method not being effective enough in getting more of the drug inside the cochlea. I really believe this will solve that problem!

 

If Otomagnetics works, why don’t we hear about their cooperation with leading companies in the field of hearing research? (Frequency Therapeutics, Otonomy, Pipeline Therapeutics, Hough Ear Institute). Both Frequency Therapeutics and Otonomy mentioned drug delivery as one of the challenges, still none of them mentioned Otomagnetics as an option.

 

Maybe Otomagnetics would be a good candidate for the next podcast, @Hazel & @Markku? What do you think?

 

Sometimes even big organizations can overlook smaller discoveries. I've been trying to contact Frequency Therapeutics etc via email and other social media for ages and haven't heard back if they are aware of Otomagnetics. The chain of communication needs to be infiltrated somehow, and podcast interview questions or suggestions for guests may help. Please help spread the word in any way you can, this technology IS demonstrated to be working.