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Help us make hearing loss a thing of the past. Read more |
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ABOUT HEARING RESTORATION PROJECT
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Hearing Health Foundation is spearheading financial assistance and administrative management of the Hearing Restoration Project (HRP).
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The HRP is seeking $50 million ($5 million per year over ten years) in funding that will allow a consortium of senior scientists to make advancements in the regenerative biology of inner ear hair cells.
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The goal of the HRP is to develop a biological cure for severe hearing loss due to noise exposure, age, chemical toxins, medications, trauma, or genetic disorders, without surgery or implants, within the next 10 years.
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The ability to hear depends on small sensory hair cells that bring sound messages from the ear to the brain.
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The current challenges of the HRP are rebuilding damaged hair cells and ensuring that the cells are connected to nerves that allow for sound messages to be sent to the brain.
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Guiding and influencing the HRP is that fact that hair cell regeneration occurs naturally and spontaneously in birds, fish, and amphibians after noise-induced damage, which can occur in as little as 28 days.
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Small mammals have garnered partially successful results when cell regeneration is induced in a laboratory setting.
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The HRP is working to shorten the timeline to clinical trials in humans and mammals.
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Cell regeneration funding may also advance treatments and cures for many other diseases, including: epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, spinal injury, stroke, Huntington’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease.
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At this time, pharmaceutical companies are not involved in the Hearing Restoration Project, but they are aware of the advancements.
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