Our results suggest that mature cochlear supporting cells can be reprogrammed into sensory hair cells, providing a possible target for hair cell regeneration in mammals.
Emerging Research Grants: Call for Applications
The Emerging Research Grants program is a competitive process that awards grants to only the most promising investigators. Recipients are exceptionally well-positioned to secure subsequent funding from major federal funders. In fact, ERG awardees (2002–present) have gone on to be awarded an average of $59 in federal research funding for every dollar of their ERG grant.
Tackling Hidden Hearing Loss
Individuals with hidden hearing loss may have “normal” hearing on a typical audiogram but still struggle to comprehend speech, especially in noisy environments like crowded restaurants.
Impact 2024
Hearing Health Foundation’s mission to fund innovative, groundbreaking hearing and balance science is only possible because of you. We are grateful for the support of our community.
The Hearing Restoration Project Adds a New Working Group
Given the need for platforms that provide efficient, reproducible, and reliable outcome measurements, the HRP has created a new, fourth working group this year: Screening.
Meet the 2025 Emerging Research Grants Scientists
Lower Frequencies Boost Ability of Older Adults to Separate Sounds
These findings mean lower-frequency sounds may help older adults better understand complex sound environments. This may be useful for designing better hearing aids or other devices to help older people hear more clearly.
Auditory Input Regulates the Real-Time Coordination of Speech Movements
Our results are consistent with the theory that people rely on auditory information to coordinate the motor control of their vocal tract in service to speech production and opens up many new, critically important questions about people with congenital auditory deficits.
Brain Responses to Voice Pitch Offer Clues to Hearing Difficulties in Children
These findings show that even with appropriate amplification via hearing aids, children with hearing loss still have trouble processing certain aspects of sound, particularly the basic pitch of voices. These objectively measurable brain responses may explain why children with hearing loss struggle more in noisy or echoey environments.
Key Findings and Next Steps
Where do we want our hair cell regeneration research to be in three years’ time, and what will it take to get us there?