WHAT TREATMENTS ARE AVAILABLE?

Surgery can help some conductive and sensorineural hearing losses, but there aren’t many drug therapies suitable, bar steroids, which are used for some cases of sudden onset sensorineural hearing loss.

Getting drugs into the inner ear is challenging in itself, thanks to its naturally protective shape. However, researchers at the University of Maryland in the US are looking at iron nanoparticles as carriers to deliver drugs to where they are needed, powered via a small, magnetic device held close to the head. This effectively pushes the nanoparticles through a membrane into the cochlear. The therapy is still in trials.

Plus researchers are looking for ways to regrow hair cells using stem cell-, gene- and drug-based approaches, with Action on Hearing Loss (AHL) -funded scientists at The University of Sheffield recording positive results in deaf animals.