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According to the World Health Organization, around 20% of the world’s population, or around 1.5 billion people, are affected by deafness or hearing loss.
This includes 34 million children, and 30% of people aged over 60.
Regardless of age, the effects of hearing loss on a person’s life can be profound, from affecting academic attainment in younger people and leading to isolation amongst our elders.
Though deaf people can, and do, lead happy, fulfilling lives, their ability to integrate is highly dependent on the people, practices, support, and structures around them – and this varies considerably from country to country and community to community.
Regardless, there is no denying that day-to-day life can be more challenging for those with disabilities. And this is why researchers from the University of Sheffield, in the UK, are developing a potential technique for reversing one type of hearing loss.
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There are two main types of hearing loss – sensorineural hearing loss, and conductive hearing loss – according to the UK charity RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People).
In the former, hair-like cells in the cochlear (a part of the inner ear that is vital for hearing) or the hearing nerve become damaged, leading to hearing loss; in the latter, and infection or waxy build up prevent sound from passing through to the cochlear. While conductive hearing loss could be temporary (though it can also be permanent), sensorineural hearing loss is permanent and is often treated through the use of hearing aids.
There are many causes of sensorineural hearing loss, though the most common are age-related deterioration of the cochlear cells, noise-related damage, ototoxic drugs, and genetics.
While cochlear implants can be very effective in treating hearing loss, they rely on the integrity of the hearing nerve; however, according to a recent statement, the research team – who work under the title of spin-out company Rinri Theraputics – have recently received approval from the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to test out a new type of treatment that could change treatment for hearing loss forever.
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The human trial will involve twenty patients across three UK-based hearing research centres, and will see a new form of stem cell treatment, known as Rincell-1, given to patients who are also undergoing the cochlear implant procedure.
Why? Well, Rincell-1 is designed to help damaged auditory neurons to regenerate, which – if successful – will help many more people to improve their hearing, regardless of the cause.
Some patients in the trial – half of whom have age-related hearing loss, the other half of whom have postsynaptic auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD) – will receive a dose of Rincell-1 during their cochlear implant surgery, while the others will only receive the cochlear implant.
Then, through the following months and years, the researchers will gather significant amounts of data from the patients themselves, from tests of their hearing and speech perception, and from cochlear implant monitoring technology.
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This is an exciting time for the researchers, and for potential candidates for treatment, to say the least. As Rinri’s Professor Doug Hartley explained in the statement, successful treatment has the potential to be revolutionary:
“Working daily with individuals suffering from hearing loss, I know how devastating it can be, and the acute need for a therapy to change the disease course. It’s very exciting to be starting a clinical trial with Rincell-1, working with otologists across the world to develop this promising new approach to auditory nerve regeneration.”
And as Rinri and the University of Sheffield’s Professor Marcelo Rivolta continued, this development is all down to the pioneering research done by scientists over many years, with the health, happiness and welfare of patients in mind:
“This MHRA approval is a culmination of years of rigorous scientific exploration and an unwavering belief in the potential of regenerative medicine. Our research into Rincell-1 has consistently shown its ability to target and restore the delicate neural structures of the inner ear. Now, to translate this scientific understanding into a human trial, bringing us closer to a future where we can truly restore auditory function, is profoundly rewarding for the entire team who have poured their expertise and passion into this work.”
As the trial gets underway, only time will tell if these scientists have found a way to reverse hearing loss for billions of people around the world.
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