New University of Michigan Tinnitus Discovery — Signal Timing

[Markku]

Dr. Shore shared the following with us.

...

At University of Michigan, as for most large research universities, research labs are run by faculty. When the faculty member retires, the lab is closed down and a new faculty member brings in a different program. Thus, the Shore lab is now closed.

However, I will continue to be involved in the research endeavor as a part time, active professor emerita. That means I will do research on a part time basis in collaboration with colleagues, and will continue mentoring students and faculty. I will continue to be involved in the research community by giving talks and attending conferences.

I will also be focusing on my role as CSO of Auricle and we will work towards commercialization of our tinnitus treatment.

...

 

[Hardwell]

Call me optimistic for the first time in my life... but that almost sounds as if she's confident about her device and is putting all her efforts and time into that now.

You don't retire, stop your research and then actively take up your duty as CSO if you don't have faith in your product.

 

[Jupiterman]

The language she talks is almost the opposite of how Frequency Therapeutics and Otonomy spoke.

Let's hope she gets the opposite outcome too.

 

[El BUZZ]

Dr. Shore shared the following with us.

...

At University of Michigan, as for most large research universities, research labs are run by faculty. When the faculty member retires, the lab is closed down and a new faculty member brings in a different program. Thus, the Shore lab is now closed.

However, I will continue to be involved in the research endeavor as a part time, active professor emerita. That means I will do research on a part time basis in collaboration with colleagues, and will continue mentoring students and faculty. I will continue to be involved in the research community by giving talks and attending conferences.

I will also be focusing on my role as CSO of Auricle and we will work towards commercialization of our tinnitus treatment.

...

Hi @Markku, what's your interpretation of that message?

 

[awake 44]

Call me optimistic for the first time in my life... but that almost sounds as if she's confident about her device and is putting all her efforts and time into that now.

You don't retire, stop your research and then actively take up your duty as CSO if you don't have faith in your product.

Yes. This is very, very good news! I hope Dr. Shore will remain in good health. If this is the case, the future is bright. I'm so grateful to @Markku for this clarification.

 

[JimmyStrong]

The language she talks is almost the opposite of how Frequency Therapeutics and Otonomy spoke.

How so? Do you mean that she is more transparent when sharing news or is more under wraps and doesn't give false hope?

 

[Nick47]

How so? Do you mean that she is more transparent when sharing news or is more under wraps and doesn't give false hope?

I interpret it as she doesn't do PR stunts and fancy pictures of animals or lab ears. She says what her findings are and doesn't speculate. Her approach is everything some American biotech floating on the stock market isn't.

 

[Hardwell]

Hi @Markku, what's your interpretation of that message?

@Markku is not available at the moment, he was last seen on a balcony with a cigar in his mouth and whiskey in hand.

 

[ZFire]

Also, with her retirement, I think we should also expect that she will have increased availability, thereby presenting us with the opportunity to conduct that long-awaited interview conducted by Tinnitus Talk's very own, @Hazel, hopefully soon. This development brings us closer to that goal which is really good if you ask me. Looking forward to that interview.

This is shore getting interesting.

 

[Manny]

Dr. Shore shared the following with us.

…we will work towards commercialization of our tinnitus treatment.

Does this mean the commercialization efforts haven't even started yet? Or am I being overly pedantic about grammar?

 

[Hardwell]

Does this mean the commercialization efforts haven't even started yet? Or am I being overly pedantic about grammar?

The latter I think, 'working towards' to me more so symbolises a continuation of something.

 

[ErikaS]

"There's no need to show off when you know who you are."

This, right here, is Dr. Shore!

Per her retirement and given her response, I get a sense that once Dr. Shore gets the "green lights" aka publication and FDA approval, she wants to be ready to hit the sales/distribution ground running and get this into sufferers' hands. She's making her moves quietly, but she is definitely making moves.

Did Dr. Shore/Auricle specifically say yet how this will be commercialized post publication and FDA approval or no? If not, are we to assume it will go through the route of educating and training audiologists/brain clinics nationwide > give devices to audiologists/clinics > audiologists make appointments with patients/consumers?

 

[awake 44]

Does this mean the commercialization efforts haven't even started yet? Or am I being overly pedantic about grammar?

Yes, you are.

 

[Jonno02]

Nice to see optimism creeping back into this thread.

 

[Joshua Macleod]

I will buy you all a beer (or non-alcoholic variant) if and when this happens. Such good news!

(Please don't hold me to this, I'm skint).

 

[ErikaS]

I hope they surpass Lenire when it comes to commercialization and distribution in the USA. I get random emails from Lenire about singing up and such and at the bottom it always says "may take several months to be contacted". I emailed my ENT office as an FYI of the current status of the Susan Shore device situation and asked them to keep their eye on its progress as it would be of GREAT benefit to be trained and provide this device to patients in the future. I felt the need to do this when my ENT didn't even know who Dr. Shore was when I brought her up in December to him

 

[ColinUK]

If the device works, all ENTs will know about it

Hopefully we don't have that much longer to wait till we find out.

I refuse to get my hopes up believing in something, I won't believe in any treatment until is available for public use with lots of people reporting success, including people on these forums.

Though I really hope that this will provide some relief to some of us.

 

[dd314]

I hope they surpass Lenire when it comes to commercialization and distribution in the USA. I get random emails from Lenire about singing up and such and at the bottom it always says "may take several months to be contacted". I emailed my ENT office as an FYI of the current status of the Susan Shore device situation and asked them to keep their eye on its progress as it would be of GREAT benefit to be trained and provide this device to patients in the future. I felt the need to do this when my ENT didn't even know who Dr. Shore was when I brought her up in December to him

Look for a good audiologist. ENTs will know more about the latest sinus infection cure. My audiologist knew about Auricle back in 2021; find someone that actually knows about this disease.

 

[ErikaS]

Look for a good audiologist. ENTs will know more about the latest sinus infection cure. My audiologist knew about Auricle back in 2021; find someone that actually knows about this disease.

I definitely did my best effort on this! I emailed the audiologist and hearing device specialist at the office who know my case well. The hearing device specialist emailed me back and said she has been following Susan Shore's work for quite some time now and is very much looking forward to the device being approved. She said she will be making the doctors aware of the device since they are the ones to approve all devices brought into the office. My hope is if I can get the doctor's office proactive with this now, that will possibly benefit me and others in the practice when the time comes. Self-advocacy can never sleep.

 

[@dam]

If the device works, all ENTs will know about it

Seems only the ENT's with tinnitus will be interested in it that seems to be the big difference between a good one and a bad one with tinnitus. I hate to gatekeep, but unless you have this condition, it's extremely hard to comprehend one's perspective with it.

 

[ColinUK]

My personal experience of ENTs and audiologists is that they are all useless. In the beginning I was really frustrated with them.

But the reality is everything they said was true; there is nothing that can be done and there is no treatment, so it's better to get used to it... A few years ago I didn't accept this reality because, after all, we were growing our hair cells back, right?

Now I am sure most of the ENTs and audiologists are not sadists and would like to be able to help their patients. So I'm confident that if there was something that actually worked, it would be offered, but all they got now is CBT and noise therapy which for me did nothing and I personally think they are both terrible treatment options. But if the NHS offer these, then offering an actual treatment should be a no-brainer.

 

[Jonno02]

My personal experience of ENTs and audiologists is that they are all useless. In the beginning I was really frustrated with them.

But the reality is everything they said was true; there is nothing that can be done and there is no treatment, so it's better to get used to it... A few years ago I didn't accept this reality because, after all, we were growing our hair cells back, right?

Now I am sure most of the ENTs and audiologists are not sadists and would like to be able to help their patients. So I'm confident that if there was something that actually worked, it would be offered, but all they got now is CBT and noise therapy which for me did nothing and I personally think they are both terrible treatment options. But if the NHS offer these, then offering an actual treatment should be a no-brainer.

Tinnitus appointments cost the NHS about £1bn a year, so I'd imagine they'll be early on the treatment wagon once a serious contender (i.e. not Lenire) comes along.

 

[Nick47]

Tinnitus appointments cost the NHS about £1bn a year, so I'd imagine they'll be early on the treatment wagon once a serious contender (i.e. not Lenire) comes along.

Given they've removed most CBT, which has reduced the costs. I'm also concerned on the patent issue and the fact we are not part of the EU. I noticed patents in Europe, Australia and America. Where does the UK fit in?

 

[Fightthearmy]

Tinnitus appointments cost the NHS about £1bn a year, so I'd imagine they'll be early on the treatment wagon once a serious contender (i.e. not Lenire) comes along.

They're totally logical, since when? Besides, coverage for tinnitus also means coverage for those who don't 'need' treatment. Eh, I suppose since I am able to work full weeks or at least can't (without malingering) get leave from work, we're talking coverage for treatment which from their perspective I don't need, whatever my life quality.

 

[Jonno02]

Given they've removed most CBT, which has reduced the costs. I'm also concerned on the patent issue and the fact we are not part of the EU. I noticed patents in Europe, Australia and America. Where does the UK fit in?

I imagine it's been removed as it's pretty much ineffective. Why spend money on something that doesn't work 99.9% of the time? I think we still follow EU patent laws.

They're totally logical, since when? Besides, coverage for tinnitus also means coverage for those who don't 'need' treatment. Eh, I suppose since I am able to work full weeks or at least can't (without malingering) get leave from work, we're talking coverage for treatment which from their perspective I don't need, whatever my life quality.

This is where subjectivity would be at your advantage. Tell them it's as loud as you need to in order to gain treatment, how will they know?

And I don't particularly buy that argument anyway. For example, the NHS carry out millions of operations a year which will cost more than this device and there's no criteria for who 'actually needs' those procedures; if the patient suffers from a condition and the NHS have it on their active treatment list and it's not some sparse resource like organ transplant, the treatment is normally always given.

The NHS will probably wait until the device is well field tested though, so private will be the fastest route to this treatment.

 

[Fightthearmy]

This is where subjectivity would be at your advantage. Tell them it's as loud as you need to in order to gain treatment, how will they know?

And I don't particularly buy that argument anyway. For example, the NHS carry out millions of operations a year which will cost more than this device and there's no criteria for who 'actually needs' those procedures; if the patient suffers from a condition and the NHS have it on their active treatment list and it's not some sparse resource like organ transplant, the treatment is normally always given.

Well, it's everybody or no-one if this gets covered by NHS. Hopefully there are enough disabled people so the NHS won't consider an emotionally stable life merely a luxury. (If the Auricle lives up to expectations, I'll be looking forward stories of dismissive ENTs/GPs here.) It might not be an equal wait for all EU countries:

I know Polish healthcare system very well. I'm assuming that patients will have to pay for the device for 10 years. After that, our Ministry of Health will make the decision to cover the costs by national healthcare system.

 

[dj_newark]

Given they've removed most CBT, which has reduced the costs. I'm also concerned on the patent issue and the fact we are not part of the EU. I noticed patents in Europe, Australia and America. Where does the UK fit in?

Would you mind sharing the link where you saw that there is a patent in Australia for the device? I've Googled and I can't find it. I have a friend with severe tinnitus who'd be very interested to see that.

 

[Nick47]

Would you mind sharing the link where you saw that there is a patent in Australia for the device? I've Googled and I can't find it. I have a friend with severe tinnitus who'd be very interested to see that.

It was an error on my part. It was USA, Japan and Europe.

 

[dj_newark]

It was an error on my part. It was USA, Japan and Europe.

No problem. Thanks for letting me know!

 

[alnil]

I'm looking forward to the upcoming years. Dedicating one's life, as Dr. Susan Shore has done, to science and to the research of tinnitus, is a proud and noble thing. We should be grateful.