Rinri Therapeutics

[Street Novelist]

So, it would involve a small incision behind the ear? Would that allow access to the ear canal through that incision alone?

 

[Street Novelist]

Any idea when the clinical trials are starting?

 

[Nick47]

Any idea when the clinical trials are starting?

@Street Novelist, a small feasibility study on cochlear Implant patients is scheduled to start this year. It will be carried out with 3-6 participants.

 

[Street Novelist]

@Street Novelist, a small feasibility study on cochlear Implant patients is scheduled to start this year. It will be carried out with 3-6 participants.

So, basically a study just to make sure it's safe? Will they even be conducting hearing tests afterward?

 

[Nick47]

So, basically a study just to make sure it's safe? Will they even be conducting hearing tests afterward?

@Street Novelist, a lot of research and time has gone into this. I was part of the focus group back in the summer of 2023. Please take a moment to read through the thread.

Rinri Therapeutics is objectively measuring changes rather than relying on subjective tests like speech-in-noise evaluations. Since this is a new approach with a novel delivery technique and it's invasive, starting with a small group of participants is the right way to proceed.

 

[Nick47]

A new media piece on Rinri Therapeutics:

A Landmark Year Ahead for Rinri and the Hunt for a Cure - HEARING LOSS JOURNAL

Inside the Cochlea (Courtesy C. G.

www.hearinglossjournal.com

 

[Street Novelist]

A new media piece on Rinri Therapeutics:

A Landmark Year Ahead for Rinri and the Hunt for a Cure - HEARING LOSS JOURNAL

Inside the Cochlea (Courtesy C. G.

www.hearinglossjournal.com

"Rinri will recruit 20 patients from across the UK. 10 of them, aged 60-74, will have age-related hearing loss (Presbycusis), and the other 10, aged 18 to 74, will have Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder (ANSD), a disorder where hair cells are functioning but their signals don't reach the brain. All of them will receive cochlear implants along with Rincell-1."

So, all of the participants have hearing loss severe enough that they will be receiving cochlear implants regardless.

I went back and re-read page 1 of this thread, and it states that the researchers will measure hearing differences by asking patients to record data using their implants.

Could someone explain this to me in simpler terms?

 

[MrRing]

A new media piece on Rinri Therapeutics:

A Landmark Year Ahead for Rinri and the Hunt for a Cure - HEARING LOSS JOURNAL

Inside the Cochlea (Courtesy C. G.

www.hearinglossjournal.com

I just hope we get some evidence that a solution is on the way.

I know I am new here, and many people have been hoping for this exact thing for decades, but I truly hope something is on the horizon.

Thanks for the update—it was a great read, and I hope their study leads to real, positive results.

 

[Nick47]

went back and re-read page 1 of this thread, and it states that the researchers will measure hearing differences by asking patients to record data using their implants.

I'm not sure how, but the cochlear implant can objectively detect changes in hearing health. They have actually adjusted the trial design slightly. In 2023, the plan was to have a small cohort of 3 to 6 patients.

This treatment is aimed at repopulating auditory nerve cells, not synapses. There is sometimes confusion between the two. The auditory nerve carries the signal to the brainstem, while synapses are the connections between hair cells and auditory nerve cells.

Some information is here.

 

[DimLeb]

"All of them will receive cochlear implants along with Rincell-1."

That smelly smell that Frequency Therapeutics had...

 

[Nick47]

That smelly smell that Frequency Therapeutics had...

@DimLeb, why do you think that?

 

[DimLeb]

@DimLeb, why do you think that?

Because they already blur the process and any results with something that significantly affects the ear, it reminds me of how Frequency Therapeutics relied on a largely subjective test to measure outcomes, which ultimately proved useless. This seems like a similar situation.

And of course, it will likely exclude most people without a cochlear implant.

I truly hope I'm wrong, though.

 

[Nick47]

Because they already blur the process and any results with something that significantly affects the ear, it reminds me of how Frequency Therapeutics relied on a largely subjective test to measure outcomes, which ultimately proved useless. This seems like a similar situation.

@DimLeb, there are several reasons for using these patients in the trial:

1. It is safer to test this treatment on patients with very little usable hearing.
2. Administering the treatment is much easier while the cochlea is accessible. Intratympanic injections have repeatedly failed, but researchers have discovered a better method, along with at least two other institutions.
3. Cochlear implants can be used to objectively measure cochlear health, rather than relying on unreliable speech-in-noise tests.

Sheffield University has spent about 20 years researching this, and a biotech company was recently formed to continue the work. It is not linked to the stock market!

 

[Mdi]

I thought Rinri Therapeutics was focused on synapses. I didn't know there was a need to regenerate auditory nerve cells.

I couldn't find any study focused on this.

 

[LovableGamer]

Would this help someone like me with sensorineural hearing loss? I have Turner syndrome, which causes a gradual decline in hearing. Even if I could regain even mild hearing, that would be amazing.

Another thing I wonder about is how this would affect the brain. Would it adjust to hearing sounds again? If I could hear without hearing aids, that would be incredible.

 

[Nick47]

Would this help someone like me with sensorineural hearing loss? I have Turner syndrome, which causes a gradual decline in hearing. Even if I could regain even mild hearing, that would be amazing.

Another thing I wonder about is how this would affect the brain. Would it adjust to hearing sounds again? If I could hear without hearing aids, that would be incredible.

@LovableGamer, about 25% of patients have hearing loss primarily caused by the degradation of auditory nerve fibers. As I understand it, this is mainly age-related.

Until human studies are complete, the details—whether it works, whether it is safe—remain unknown.

 

[Scruffiey]

I have a lot of faith that this technology will be successful, even if it doesn't become the future gold standard for inner ear repair. But I also have this horrible feeling that progress through trials will be painfully slow, and it will take forever to reach the market.

I really hope I don't have to wait until 2040 to stop worrying about my ears every day.

By that point, we'll probably have bigger problems—like contending with giant irradiated ants.

 

[LovableGamer]

I have a lot of faith that this technology will be successful, even if it doesn't become the future gold standard for inner ear repair. But I also have this horrible feeling that progress through trials will be painfully slow, and it will take forever to reach the market.

I really hope I don't have to wait until 2040 to stop worrying about my ears every day.

By that point, we'll probably have bigger problems—like contending with giant irradiated ants.

Yeah, I really hope we don't have to wait that long either. I recently had an ear infection, which wasn't good for my mental health. It also made me worry that I had lost more of my hearing, which really scared me. So, I made an appointment with an audiologist.

That said, this does give me some hope. Hopefully, the first trial has positive results, and things move quickly from there.