University of Birmingham — Identifying Cochlear Nucleus Drug Targets

UK University. Basically the research team has identified that there is a loss of the inhibitory 5-HT1A receptors in the Cochlear Nucleus in tinnitus and are looking to develop a drug to target this.

→ Identification of a suitable drug target(s) to manipulate dysfunctional neuronal function in the cochlear nucleus to relieve noise-induced tinnitus; further studies following successful identification of the relevant neurones likely to be amenable to drug manipulation

Funding from → the Ministry of Defence.

What's interesting about the above research is the UK Government put this out to tender in the summer for £50,000 and it was through the Ministry of Defence department. It was subsequently awarded to Birmingham University.

 

@Nick47, interesting! Looks like the funding ends in September. I wonder if they got very far and what their plan is.

 

@TashaJane, I don't know. It seems to be unknown ongoing research. In fact it started over 10 years ago with some funding from the BTA.

 

Damn, £50k won’t get them far. This would be a perfect cure.

 

Yes, it seems when it comes to financing research, hearing related problems are not high up on the list.

I'm delighted that science has come up with some answer to sickle cell anemia, but hey... that isn't very prevalent around these parts of the world.

 

You would think not. It's public money and the university are happy to agree. Makes you wonder about all this Hough Ear Institute bollocks and how they need half a billion.

 

And why on earth should you believe the clinical trials were to be successful and so firmly as to give them half a billion? Because 'they said it works'; you should take their word?

 

Interestingly, when I brought this research up with Prof. Dirk De Ridder in February, he was not aware of it. His view was that some researchers operate on their own in an "ivory tower." He didn't think it would work as by targeting one type of neuron does not fit in. I don't know.

Is it worth emailing the researcher? It looks like the funding to September 2023 was to develop the drug. After that, is it animal testing or human trials?

 

Any update on this?

 

"The team will study these 5-HT1A-deplete neurones using cutting edge research techniques to identify suitable drug targets that when engaged by suitable drugs will deliver inhibitory signals to these neurones to replicate the function of the lost inhibitory 5-HT1A receptors."

I don't know to what extent these 5-HT1A receptors have disappeared from CN neurons, but if there are a few of them left, would just raising the amount of 5-HT1A agonists in the blood to compensate for their loss work?

Could ]Urapidil, an α1-adrenoceptor antagonist and an 5-HT1A receptor agonist, achieve the same effect? I think it could go both ways as vasodilators also seem to exacerbate tinnitus for some people.

The effects of regular SSRIs on tinnitus seem very mixed, but of course they affect other serotonin receptors as well.

 

Do you have any news on this?

How many years will this research programme last?