Hearing Health Newsletter: June 2025

The class of antibiotics known as aminoglycosides is the standard of care for many serious bacterial infections. Studies report that hearing loss as a side effect from undergoing these treatments can range from 11 to 67 percent. Now, 2023–2024 Emerging Research Grants scientist Francisco Barros-Becker, Ph.D., and team are detailing how these drugs are able to kill hair cells, which may provide new therapeutic avenues to make these important drugs less ototoxic and safer for hearing.

Image: In zebrafish, a lysosome-disrupting treatment (GPN) protects hair cells from the antibiotic gentamicin, which damages cells slowly, but not from the antibiotic neomycin, which acts quickly. This suggests these two aminoglycosides kill cells through different pathways—gentamicin involves lysosomes, while neomycin does not.

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Research from hearing, language, and cognitive studies helps us better assess children who struggle to listen even though their standard hearing tests are typical.

Beula Magimairaj, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, a 2015 ERG scientist generously funded by Royal Arch Research Assistance, will explain how different challenges can occur together, effective testing methods, and impacts on school performance and educational needs. This hourlong research webinar starts at 5pm ET, please register here. 


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