Hearing Health Foundation’s Hearing Restoration Project (HRP) has been studying the feasibility of gene therapy approaches to bring about the conversion of supporting cells into hair cells in the inner ear. A key challenge of gene therapy is delivering the right dose to target cells while avoiding unwanted effects on other cells. Now, HRP members Andy Groves, Ph.D., and Litao Tao, Ph.D., and team recently showed it is possible to design gene therapies for the ear that are carefully targeted at supporting cells, an essential first step in applying gene therapy to treat hearing loss in humans. Groves is also a past Emerging Research Grants (ERG) scientist.
Image: The team identified three DNA enhancers near the Lfng gene that may activate genes in inner ear supporting cells. Using a viral vector, they delivered these enhancers to newborn mice and confirmed gene activation exclusively in the inner ear’s supporting cells. Credit: Seist et al./Hearing Research
2024–2025 ERG scientist Nicole Jiam, M.D., published two papers on whether machine learning can help predict cochlear implant outcomes, and whether a simple cost-saving measure can improve hearing care. Jiam is the recipient of an Elizabeth M. Keithley, Ph.D. Early Stage Investigator Award, generously supported in part by Susan and Steve Kaufman.
A study coauthored by former ERG scientist Jennifer Resnik, Ph.D., found that mice subject to stress were less sensitive to loud noises, suggesting that repeated stress gradually impairs auditory processing and perception. Resnik’s 2017 grant, received when she was at Mass Eye and Ear, was generously funded by Hyperacusis Research.
Drs. Groves, Tao, and Jiam were among the many of our funded researchers, past and present, whom we saw at this year’s ARO MidWinter Meeting in Orlando in late February. The conference brings together researchers and clinicians from around the world to share their latest findings.
Plus:
From HHF friend Help America Hear: Scholarship applications open for high school seniors
Upcoming Research Webinar: Monday, April 28, 5pm ET
Birds Show the Way to Hair Cell Regeneration with the HRP’s Stefan Heller, Ph.D.
We are still learning a lot from birds about sensory hair cell regeneration. The discovery that birds can regenerate their auditory hair cells and naturally restore their hearing sparked an ongoing investigation into the mechanisms behind this remarkable ability, leading to the creation of the HRP. Get more info and register here.
World Hearing Day March 3
We are celebrating all month! Watch: Gaming creator Lunity amplifies the message of safe listening for World Hearing Day, plus what is your favorite sound and a refresher on hearing protection.
Around the Web:
New WHO and ITU standard aims to prevent hearing loss among gamers (WHO), noise: a public health problem (Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology), and prevalence of hearing loss among U.S. adolescents (JAMA Network Open)
There's no evidence noise-canceling headphones cause auditory processing disorder (NYT Wirecutter) and are noise-canceling headphones to blame for young people's hearing problems? (BBC)
Untreated hearing loss, hearing aids, cognition: correlational outcomes 2025 (Hearing Tracker)
A step toward fully implantable cochlear implants (Columbia Engineering) and MUSC to lead way in trial involving totally under-the-skin cochlear implants (Medical University of South Carolina)
Your ears can't prick up, but your ear muscles sure try (NPR) and surfer’s ear: the condition that might leave wild swimmers and surfers with hearing loss (The Conversation)
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