"I Say 2016 Is the Year of the Ear."

[vegasjon]

Yeah, but: Experts say it will be at least five years before a product is on the market. Still, the activity is breeding optimism.

Kind of a general overview of the state of research.

http://fortune.com/2016/09/26/hearing-loss-cure-biotech-startups/

 

[RB2014]

It really paints a happy picture of what is to come. No new information, but a lot of hope.

 

[Mario martz]

Great! thanks for posting

 

[Reinier]

I have been thinking about that too. We are in September and at the end of the year I would like to see a list of "brake through" in the year 2016.

I still think there still will be some disappointments. There are still plenty researchers that are less optimistic and predict a lot longer than these five years.

I like to agree with the optimists. It is much better for my anxiety.

 

[Coyotesheaven]

It does cheer me up a bit to see some media out there, some advances, and some findings, though they are spotty and rare to come by.

But because hearing loss and T don't kill (well, actually, they can indirectly in thinking of dementia, suicide), and because hearing is regarded as less important than vision by many in this visually over saturated capitalist universe we live in, I just have a hard time taking in this optimism that things will be around in 5 years.

They are already curing forms of blindness and even paralysis with stem cells, but still it's all *hush hush* on the hearing and tinnitus front for the most part. Yes, we have the AM101 trial, and there are a few new things being developed here and there for Meniere's disease. Yet the novartis trial has moved as slowly as it could possibly go, and everything else has not even squeezed by animal trials for years, while meanwhile the rest of the medical world is making leaps and bounds.

It's so unfortunate that such a widespread problem which causes enormous suffering for millions is always overlooked except for a handful of passionate researchers looking to make a difference. And they have to struggle with limited funding and investment.
In addition, a lot of the money that could be placed into researching stem cell or gene therapy is still going into the more imperfect and limited treatments like hearing aids and CI's, which is still a something billion dollar industry. Of course these devices have helped so many people and changed lives, but it is a form of technology that will stay imperfect and remain fraught with frustration and stigma.

I am just hoping the world will one day wake up (unfortunately, most likely for the $$ that could come out of it) to the need for real, biological cures or treatments for tinntus and hearing loss.

 

[Foncky]

I agree with you Coyote, except for AM101 : it's over and the story does not end well.

 

[gotyoubynuts]

It does cheer me up a bit to see some media out there, some advances, and some findings, though they are spotty and rare to come by.

But because hearing loss and T don't kill (well, actually, they can indirectly in thinking of dementia, suicide), and because hearing is regarded as less important than vision by many in this visually over saturated capitalist universe we live in, I just have a hard time taking in this optimism that things will be around in 5 years.

They are already curing forms of blindness and even paralysis with stem cells, but still it's all *hush hush* on the hearing and tinnitus front for the most part. Yes, we have the AM101 trial, and there are a few new things being developed here and there for Meniere's disease. Yet the novartis trial has moved as slowly as it could possibly go, and everything else has not even squeezed by animal trials for years, while meanwhile the rest of the medical world is making leaps and bounds.

It's so unfortunate that such a widespread problem which causes enormous suffering for millions is always overlooked except for a handful of passionate researchers looking to make a difference. And they have to struggle with limited funding and investment.
In addition, a lot of the money that could be placed into researching stem cell or gene therapy is still going into the more imperfect and limited treatments like hearing aids and CI's, which is still a something billion dollar industry. Of course these devices have helped so many people and changed lives, but it is a form of technology that will stay imperfect and remain fraught with frustration and stigma.

I am just hoping the world will one day wake up (unfortunately, most likely for the $$ that could come out of it) to the need for real, biological cures or treatments for tinntus and hearing loss.

I agree, working treatments are not coming in the next 10 years.

IF YOU READ THIS POST 10 YEARS FROM NOW (2026), SEND ME A MESSAGE SO I KNOW I WAS RIGHT

 

[Vinnitus]

IF YOU READ THIS POST 10 YEARS FROM NOW (2026), SEND ME A MESSAGE SO I KNOW I WAS RIGHT

No need to yell, I'm from 2026 and my ears are alright now. I can hear you.

 

[Vinnitus]

It does cheer me up a bit to see some media out there, some advances, and some findings, though they are spotty and rare to come by.

But because hearing loss and T don't kill (well, actually, they can indirectly in thinking of dementia, suicide), and because hearing is regarded as less important than vision by many in this visually over saturated capitalist universe we live in, I just have a hard time taking in this optimism that things will be around in 5 years.

They are already curing forms of blindness and even paralysis with stem cells, but still it's all *hush hush* on the hearing and tinnitus front for the most part. Yes, we have the AM101 trial, and there are a few new things being developed here and there for Meniere's disease. Yet the novartis trial has moved as slowly as it could possibly go, and everything else has not even squeezed by animal trials for years, while meanwhile the rest of the medical world is making leaps and bounds.

It's so unfortunate that such a widespread problem which causes enormous suffering for millions is always overlooked except for a handful of passionate researchers looking to make a difference. And they have to struggle with limited funding and investment.
In addition, a lot of the money that could be placed into researching stem cell or gene therapy is still going into the more imperfect and limited treatments like hearing aids and CI's, which is still a something billion dollar industry. Of course these devices have helped so many people and changed lives, but it is a form of technology that will stay imperfect and remain fraught with frustration and stigma.

I am just hoping the world will one day wake up (unfortunately, most likely for the $$ that could come out of it) to the need for real, biological cures or treatments for tinntus and hearing loss.

Stem cell treatments TODAY already provide people with the ability to regain 25dB in hearing. See for example the story of @attheedgeofscience. It isn't mainstream now and might be limited to the scary back-alleys of Bangkok, but that might change in the coming years. I don't think theres reason to be overly pessimistic.

 

[Foncky]

The only problem with Bangkok is that you loose 25dB just walking in the street to reach the clinic

There's every reason to be optimistic, if we are not today, we will never be. Somehow, I feel that somewhere, a researcher or a startup or a university is very close to announce something big. We don't know everything about what's going on.

 

[Vinnitus]

The only problem with Bangkok is that you loose 25dB just walking in the street to reach the clinic

There's every reason to be optimistic, if we are not today, we will never be. Somehow, I feel that somewhere, a researcher or a startup or a university is very close to announce something big. We don't know everything about what's going on.

Yes, and like said before on this forum by other people; the big boys aren't investing in things they deem a failure to begin with. We don't know half of what's going on behind the screens. It's a race to be the first to announce the good news. I am sure this race is on, as there's a whole new untapped market waiting for the winner of this race and there's quite a list of participants already.

I wouldn't want to have Tinnitus in the 70s though, that must have been truly hard... No outlook on anything back then... So if theres anything "positive" to say; we aren't in the worst time ever to have contracted this affliction.

 

[Foncky]

I got T in 2004 : no outlook on anything back then...

By the way, I don't think ATEOS regained 25dB in hearing with his stem cells treatments. Or could you link me the text ?

 

[Vinnitus]

I got T in 2004 : no outlook on anything back then...

By the way, I don't think ATEOS regained 25dB in hearing with his stem cells treatments. Or could you link me the text ?

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...re-is-just-around-the-corner.5645/#post-58302

As for myself, I have already managed to reverse sensorineural hearing loss of up to 25db, and another stem cell pioneer with more hearing loss than me restored up to 35db of hearing loss. And that's with today's technology. So it all depends how you look at it.

Here you go.

 

[Foncky]

Ok. A shame he is not more specific about his loss at the start, on which frequencies, etc. Plus, a natural recovery of 25dB is possible in the months following a noise trauma or sudden hearing loss.

 

[lapidus]

@Vinnitus
@Foncky

I'm not sure ATEOS means that stem cells regained 25db. According to his full story on his info tab (and other places on this forum) he says that it was LLLT that gave him 25db back. The LLLT improved his hearing while stem cells reduced his T.
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/members/attheedgeofscience.1629/

 

[Eric Anderson]

I wouldn't want to have Tinnitus in the 70s though, that must have been truly hard... No outlook on anything back then... So if theres anything "positive" to say; we aren't in the worst time ever to have contracted this affliction.

Imagine having tinnitus at any other time in history up until now, people would have just thought you were crazy. I think in general this is a pretty cool time to see what science is capable of. CRISPR/Cas9 is quite revolutionary - I haven't yet seen it used for hearing relate gene editing (please correct me if I'm wrong there), but it (like other gene editing) is a powerful tool to not only produce therapies, but also study how genes affect the ear.

With the level of tinnitus I have, which I find fairly relatively tolerable, I would assume that some type of therapy I would be interesting in trying is probably more than a decade out. That said, I am still optimistic.

 

[Vinnitus]

@Vinnitus
@Foncky

I'm not sure ATEOS means that stem cells regained 25db. According to his full story on his info tab (and other places on this forum) he says that it was LLLT that gave him 25db back. The LLLT improved his hearing while stem cells reduced his T.
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/members/attheedgeofscience.1629/

You may be right, in that case I stand corrected. However, it appeared to me in that part he was solely speaking about gains by stem cell treatments. It might be a combination of LLLT and such though (still not any less exciting if you ask me) or like Foncky said; natural recovery.

Even if the stem cells "only" resulted in reduction of T; that's very encouraging.

 

[Vinnitus]

Imagine having tinnitus at any other time in history up until now, people would have just thought you were crazy. I think in general this is a pretty cool time to see what science is capable of. CRISPR/Cas9 is quite revolutionary - I haven't yet seen it used for hearing relate gene editing (please correct me if I'm wrong there), but it (like other gene editing) is a powerful tool to not only produce therapies, but also study how genes affect the ear.

With the level of tinnitus I have, which I find fairly relatively tolerable, I would assume that some type of therapy I would be interesting in trying is probably more than a decade out. That said, I am still optimistic.

Well, in the past you would just be put in the "looney bin" if you complained a little too often about "hearing noises". In the 50s you might even be eligible for the best treatment back then; a lobotomy. You would still have Tinnitus probably (maybe even worse due to "traumatic brain injury"), but you will just not care anymore. In fact, you won't care about anything.

They would love to give you this extreme form of "instant habituation". It was seen as "the cure-all treatment" back then for a lot of (common) ailments. That you were potentially left behind drooling in a chair all day, was of secondary issue. At least you were "calm" and "manageable" for nurses.

Just look at it... It didn't get more advanced than this back then.

Nowadays, we get send away with the message to "live with it" and "run a fan in the background". At least we kind of came a long way since then... Obviously, there is still room for improvement though.

 

[Zug]

Financial media needs stories, companies need to keep the hype to attract money from investors. It's just like Musk saying he'll put people on Mars or build one million Teslas. Maybe one day he will, I just doubt it will be in the time frame the media expects.

It's a good thing that there's money and resources going into hearing problems. But don't read too much into those kind of stories

 

[cornelius]

The title of the article is pure idioty. No pill has ever cured or fixed something when it comes to tissues that have been definitely destroyed in the human body.

Novartis, Eli Lilly are praised to the skies but these companies have already killed hundred of thousands people with their pill's side effect.
And concerning hearing-aid companies, they sell their junk that will never fix anything for good. Even a child could master an amplification application on a smartphone that would nearly match a hearing aid efficiency.

Only the last paragraphs about Boston's studies let forsee something that could fix hearing in a far or not so far future but it won't be pills nor hearing aids for sure and I doubt that it is allopathic medicine or hearing industry that will jump the first on the bandwagon.

In the best case pill and hearing aid industries might eventually reconvert into nano devices for regrowth factors delivery.

 

[Reinier]

(please correct me if I'm wrong there)

http://www.genengnews.com/gen-articles/gene-editing-gives-gene-therapy-a-rewrite/5830/
Quote: "We are always on the lookout for alternative technologies that could overcome existing limitations, and genome editing has become a focus," says Zheng-Yi Chen, Ph.D., an associate professor of otology and laryngology at Harvard Medical School and a researcher at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary."
End quote.
Perhaps this is as close as researchers are at this point in time. But it looks like it is on the agenda (-:

 

[Eric Anderson]

http://www.genengnews.com/gen-articles/gene-editing-gives-gene-therapy-a-rewrite/5830/

I did see that. That lab seems like they are targeting the genes that cause hearing loss with age (non-environmental factors), but could still help move hearing research forward in general.

 

[Ian Mac]

Your best bet is a multivitamin and protein right before bed and a good nights rest. Yes it will take several months to notice improvement.

 

[Mario martz]

There is no need to put down every "good" story out there, there are scientist who are actually working on this since very long long time, there is a huge world of possibilities.
lets just wish them good luck and maybe try to reach to them...

 

[Foncky]

Your best bet is a multivitamin and protein right before bed and a good nights rest. Yes it will take several months to notice improvement.

Funny.

 

[Reinier]

Your best bet is a multivitamin and protein right before bed and a good nights rest. Yes it will take several months to notice improvement.

And it is all in the mind.

 

[Sasja]

Not saying that something will be found by 'accident'. But I am saying that we sometimes are looking too far and stumble over whats in front of us.

Plus, the budget is getting bigger every month and our education is getting more accessible (at least in Europe).

 

[Ian Mac]

nerves are damaged so maybe you should supply the body with the vitamins and nutrients and protein it need so it can repair the damaged nerves and you can stop hearing ringing. Do it before bed because your body heals at night.

If you take pharmaceutical that inhibits something, say GABA, well then your sex drive is going to be inhibited too!

your best bet is to heal yourself, your body knows how, so give it what it needs.

I had diplacusis and this cured it, now I just have normal T, and its getting quieter.

 

[VRZ78]

But how do you know if it's your nerves that damaged ?

 

[Reinier]

Do it before bed because your body heals at night.

That sounded sensible to me too when someone suggested this. So I do exactly that.
Unfortunately after more than a year of supplement I increasingly start to think my ENT was correct. (And he should be after all the studying to become ENT).
Damage is done. It will not improve. (Hearing loss). In mammals inner ear damage is definite . If tinnitus, distortion and hyperacusis improves it is subjective.
Yet I continue the supplements.