Prof. Thanos Tzounopoulos Receives $2 Million Grant

If hearing regeneration isn’t here by then, I’ll definitely be going to the doctor to pop XEN496.

 

Wow, this lady is super duper smart. The amount of information she covers in such a short time, and by the looks of it right off the top of her head, is astounding. Listening to the lecture is like reading a textbook. Unreal.

Thank you so much for that info. I never would have thought to go looking for it. The complexity of the ear is mind blowing.

 

Sounds interesting. I'll check it out when I'm more awake tomorrow.

twa

 

That's initially how I acquired tinnitus.

 

Is there a chemical difference between Dr. Thanos Tzounopoulos' drug and XEN-496?

 

I think Dr. Thanos Tzounopoulos' drug is expected to be more potent and have fewer side effects but their mechanisms of action are extremely similar.

 

Thanks and glad it was useful. Yes, it’s mind-blowing!

 

XEN-496 is also expected to be more potent. This is something that Prof. Thanos Tzounopoulos should have been asked.

Prof. Thanos Tzounopoulos mentioned that he wants to redesign Retigabine/Trobalt, but this is what Xenon is already doing.

 

Is there any difference between XEN496 and Trobalt? Trobalt had nasty side effects like visual snow syndrome and organ damage, so if there's no discernible difference then I don't see why people would want to take this medication.

 

XEN496 is designed specifically to have fewer side effects.

 

Trobalt also helped people’s tinnitus and hyperacusis. I think many would accept organ damage for that. I would.

 

That's why it was pulled from the market and Xenon redesigned it - to get rid of the nasty side effects.

 

Shouldn't we all be very excited about XEN496? I don't think there is much hype about it here, and I know so little about it.

Maybe worth it to investigate it a bit more?

 

I don't know how it went under the radar to be honest, it's definitely the first new Retigabine that’s going to make it to market.

 

I definitely wouldn't, that could wind up being worse than your original conditions for some temporary relief.

 

Most put all their hopes on regenerative drugs. But these drugs are still in Phase 1 and have some limitations regarding the cause and the severity of hearing loss.

 

What are you on about? FX-322 is entering its final phase next year--literally confirmed by the CEO.

 

They haven't published their Phase 2 data yet, and we don't know what is going to happen after that.

They may commercialize their drug fairly quickly.

However, Xenon drug is still ahead of FX-322.

 

I think I speak for a lot of people here when I say that the issue with a drug like this is its philosophy. It would act as a kind of band-aid to mask one's symptoms, a bit like how a painkiller can help one's pain but not cure the underlying problem. I know a lot of people would welcome some kind of alleviation to their symptoms, as would I, but I think there's something to be said about the confidence people would have knowing that their ears have been 'restored' to some kind of normality (with drugs such as FX-322 or OTO-413), as opposed to knowing that they remain with damaged ears and the drug is simply masking their symptoms.

I guess in a way, it also would distort people's personal barometers that help them gauge how their ears are doing, which we have all developed since having these conditions and I think even with restored, healthy ears, none of us plan on giving up those barometers moving forward.

 

When is this Xenon drug expected to be out?

 

Very good point, thank you

Yes, you are right, restoration of our hearing is the first priority/wish, and if that is not going to be possible with FX-322, then we could try other things.

I don't dare to be that optimistic about FX-322, since I don't believe it will help us all, and not as much as we all hope for. But I am of course crossing my fingers and hoping for good results in March

 

It's likely we will need to combine FX-322 with a synapse drug e.g., OTO-413 to experience a full reduction in tinnitus but I reckon FX-322 would offer many of us some much-needed relief.

 

I hope so much you are right

Whatever the price will be for the upcoming treatments, I will try them

 

Transient Delivery of a KCNQ2/3-Specific Channel Activator 1 Week After Noise Trauma Mitigates Noise-Induced Tinnitus

 

Great news. All we have to do now is wait another 10 years before it hits the market.

 

The XEN496 drug is based on a completely new design (probably based on machine learning with the computer models we have). I saw its structure once and it is certainly unique.

Thanos basically threw a Fluorine on Retigabine to enhance its polarity and reactivity and called it a day.

One will be way less toxic than the other and have different affinities.

Whatever receptor the XEN496 drug targets it will do with impunity. If it isn't Kv7.1 then its use for tinnitus will be very limited.

Source: I did a chemistry degree in a previous tinnitus free life.

 

Yeah, ANYBODY could do that!

 

I'm confused. I thought it would work for chronic tinnitus too.

I remember that Retigabine also helped chronic tinnitus, not just acute noise induced tinnitus as this study says.

 

Seeing as Trobalt/Retigabine is discontinued, can it be found anywhere in the world at this point?

 

Nobody said it’s not going to work on chronic tinnitus. I think it’s impossible to check in animal models if it’s effective in chronic cases, they can only induce tinnitus in an animal and then try to reverse it within limited time.