Frequency Therapeutics — Hearing Loss Regeneration

[Graig]

In one of Frequency TX press releases they stated:

Furthermore, the team achieved 60-fold enhancement of hair cell production from the progenitor cells compared to current methods. The generation of new hair cells was achieved even in cochlear tissue that had been depleted of hair cells by exposure to an ototoxic antibiotic. Importantly, hair cells produced from the protocols exhibited the same physical features, gene expression, and functionality as typical cochlear hair cells.

So it seems reasonable to think that ototoxic cases would be treatable as well.

 

[Spiral]

In one of Frequency TX press releases they stated:

Furthermore, the team achieved 60-fold enhancement of hair cell production from the progenitor cells compared to current methods. The generation of new hair cells was achieved even in cochlear tissue that had been depleted of hair cells by exposure to an ototoxic antibiotic. Importantly, hair cells produced from the protocols exhibited the same physical features, gene expression, and functionality as typical cochlear hair cells.

So it seems reasonable to think that ototoxic cases would be treatable as well.

Link?
Edit: that's from an old press release dated Feb 17 so it's a little bit on the old side.

 

[IvanRus]

Link?
Edit: that's from an old press release dated Feb 17 so it's a little bit on the old side.

Do you have ototoxicity? What do you think about the prospects of frequency therapy? or decibel terapeutics?

 

[Aaron123]

f there are dead cells in the cochlea hopefully they will be recreated by this drug.

If there are dead hair cells, their approach may work. It won't work on hearing loss due to other types of damage.

I'm not sure about this one, but hope you're right. I think with genetic or ototoxic hearing loss damage is more then only hair cells.

Genetic hearing loss may involve only hair cells, but regrowing genetically defective hair cells isn't likely to be much of a solution if the new hair cells are also genetically defective.
Additionally, people are using "ototoxic" in a very non-specific way. If a drug is ototoxic and kills hair cells, then this approach may well work. If it is ototoxic and damages other types of cells in the cochlea, then this approach is very unlikely to work. (And the number of truly ototoxic drugs - drugs that specifically result in hearing loss - is much more limited than people on this forum seem to realize. The leading examples generating the most work are Aminoglycoside antibiotics and cisplatin, a chemotherapy drug.)

The generation of new hair cells was achieved even in cochlear tissue that had been depleted of hair cells by exposure to an ototoxic antibiotic. Importantly, hair cells produced from the protocols exhibited the same physical features, gene expression, and functionality as typical cochlear hair cells.

So it seems reasonable to think that ototoxic cases would be treatable as well.

Again, you have to be specific. This was one specific type of antibiotic. It is unlikely to work for someone with hearing loss due to cisplatin for example.

 

[GregCA]

If there are dead hair cells, their approach may work. It won't work on hearing loss due to other types of damage.

I wonder if it would work with sensorineural losses caused by otosclerosis. The hypothesis is that the osteoclast/osteoblast process releases enzymes that are toxic to the hair cells, but I'm not so sure about the details.

 

[Makrohn]

Genetic hearing loss may involve only hair cells, but regrowing genetically defective hair cells isn't likely to be much of a solution if the new hair cells are also genetically defective.

I have a genetic hearing loss, but it did not "kick in" before I got about 30. Before that age I managed fine without hearing aids. If this treatment "resets" things to like it was before 30 I would be more than happy with that, even if the end result would be the same, meaning I would end up with bad hearing after 30 years again. What I know about my specific hearing loss is that there is a defect in a certain protein.

 

[Benoves]

I have a genetic hearing loss, but it did not "kick in" before I got about 30. Before that age I managed fine without hearing aids. If this treatment "resets" things to like it was before 30 I would be more than happy with that, even if the end result would be the same, meaning I would end up with bad hearing after 30 years again. What I know about my specific hearing loss is that there is a defect in a certain protein.

For me the same

 

[dmorg]

Frequency just posted that they successfully completed safety/efficacy trial in Australia. Check their Twitter feed!

 

[Makrohn]

Here´s the article

https://www.businesswire.com/news/h...F87CseT&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

 

[Coleoptere]

https://www.morningstar.com/news/bu...aring-restoration-achieves-all-endpoints.html

 

[Benoves]

Nice!! Looking forward to next trials. Goes faster than I expected.

 

[Aaron123]

I have a genetic hearing loss, but it did not "kick in" before I got about 30. Before that age I managed fine without hearing aids. If this treatment "resets" things to like it was before 30 I would be more than happy with that, even if the end result would be the same, meaning I would end up with bad hearing after 30 years again. What I know about my specific hearing loss is that there is a defect in a certain protein.

If that's the way it works, then that would seem good. Not to sidetrack this thread, but what is the specific defect, and how do you know?

For me the same

Similarly, what specific defect do you have and how do you know?

 

[Rubenslash]

Great news on Frequency as we expected this to finish only by February-March next year!

 

[Makrohn]

If that's the way it works, then that would seem good. Not to sidetrack this thread, but what is the specific defect, and how do you know?

Similarly, what specific defect do you have and how do you know?

It is a defect to the tecta gene in the cochlea. It is tested in a DNA test when they want to exclude the pendred syndrome.

 

[Aaron123]

Frequency just posted that they successfully completed safety/efficacy trial in Australia. Check their Twitter feed!

This is definitely good news. What is interesting/perplexing is that they enrolled only 9 people when the plan was to enroll 13. Looks like they must have only done 2 of the 3 planned groups. This is likely the reason for the "early" finish.

 

[Mortzcent]

damn that fills me with hope

 

[Chaz]

hype hype hype hype

 

[Reinier]

Nice Christmas present.

 

[grate_biff]

Way to go Frequency TX!
So, perhaps they can follow their 12-18 month timeline, for testing effect, after all
I really believe this company knows what they are doing!

 

[Benoves]

If that's the way it works, then that would seem good. Not to sidetrack this thread, but what is the specific defect, and how do you know?


Similarly, what specific defect do you have and how do you know?

I Meant the Same that it slowly kicked in. I don't know what What the specific defect is.

 

[Steven__]

I'm so happy !! So now it's going into phase 2 ? I'm not exactly sure how the process goes

 

[acufenero]

I'm so happy !! So now it's going into phase 2 ? I'm not exactly sure how the process goes

Yep, which should start before September 2018.

 

[Paulmanlike]

You know phase 1 tests both safety and efficacy is that right?

So it's safe to have and has it shown to work? Any effect on tinnitus?

 

[Paulmanlike]

Frequency just posted that they successfully completed safety/efficacy trial in Australia. Check their Twitter feed!

When they say efficacy I assume they mean that the drug reaches the cochlear - not that it is proof yet that it works. But so far so good

 

[acufenero]

You know phase 1 tests both safety and efficacy is that right?

So it's safe to have and has it shown to work? Any effect on tinnitus?

I guess that they were unable to observe efficacy (that is, if the drug successfully induced the body to create new hair cells, since I think this is not immediate and takes some time and that the patient received a cochlear implant the next day, which already allows him to recover some hearing), just safety. The trial has shown that the drug gets where it needs to go and stays there without side effects.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Makrohn]

Yeah, I believe they have proven that this works in mice? And that this was just a test in regards of delivery to the inner ear of a human, using a known method.

Phase 2 would be to monitor results over time. I have all my fingers crossed this will work in some way! I hope they know how much this means.

 

[Berik]

9 patients didnt went through with the cochlear implant, because they could miracously hear again.

Would have been a nice alinea in the press-release.

 

[MidnightOilAudio]

On tomorrow news: "A crowd of T sufferers gathers outside of Frequency Tx's headquarters while all drooling at the mouth".

 

[brt]

So how are the chances that it could help with tinnitus? Is this supported by scientists and doctors at all? I'm 32 and have total hearing loss above 12khz due to age and possibly noise. Would this enable me to hear the higher frequencies again? Mrs. Tinnitus is very mad so the chance it could lower the ringing is good enough for me. Hearing is still good (audiometry tests go up to 8khz) but I'm thinking of having hidden hearing loss.

If the trial is successful how would one go to try this in Europe if it's not for tinnitus? Maybe doctors here won't like to try it out just to test it because "it's not for me" then, they'll say, you just have tinnitus, it's in the brain, stupid. Money could change their "professional" opinion, but I'm interested very much how this treatments effects people with tinnitus and none to mild hearing loss. I take it that the current trial is not for tinnitus patients. Sad!

 

[Paulmanlike]

So how are the chances that it could help with tinnitus? Is this supported by scientists and doctors at all? I'm 32 and have total hearing loss above 12khz due to age and possibly noise. Would this enable me to hear the higher frequencies again? Mrs. Tinnitus is very mad so the chance it could lower the ringing is good enough for me. Hearing is still good (audiometry tests go up to 8khz) but I'm thinking of having hidden hearing loss.

If the trial is successful how would one go to try this in Europe if it's not for tinnitus? Maybe doctors here won't like to try it out just to test it because "it's not for me" then, they'll say, you just have tinnitus, it's in the brain, stupid. Money could change their "professional" opinion, but I'm interested very much how this treatments effects people with tinnitus and none to mild hearing loss. I take it that the current trial is not for tinnitus patients. Sad!

This was never intended to cure or fix tinnitus - it's for hearing loss. It's all speculation now but you may assume if damaged hair cells through noise is the cause of tinnitus then fixing that cause will abolish or reduce tinnitus. Makes sense doesn't it?

But then you have to look at the theories that tinnitus is established in the brain over time through changes, how would new regenerated hair cells correct that? Would they correct it? i hope so.

Bottom line is; nobody knows yet. Not even the guys behind PCA

Edit; to keep the hope alive - some people have said hearing aids completely abolishes their tinnitus while for others it does not and for anybody with poor hearing - having better hearing will help you mask the noise. But let's all hope it fixes hearing 100% and zero tinnitus for everybody