In what represents its first patenting, Sonura LLC has been issued with a patent for an aural device designed to protect the hearing of infants in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) by active filtering, while, at the same time, providing aural stimulation for neurological development.
After a disappointment with the same product in another indication about two years ago, Sensorion SA met the primary endpoint in its proof-of-concept phase IIa trial with SENS-401 for residual hearing preservation after cochlear implant.
Noise-induced hearing loss is still the most common cause of acquired hearing loss nowadays. The mechanisms behind this may be explained through inflammatory responses in the cochlea after acoustic trauma.
It has been previously demonstrated that noise exposure leads to activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, and that inhibition of this pathway protects from hearing loss. Tizaterkib (formerly AZD-0364) is a novel, highly selective, orally bioavailable ERK1/2 inhibitor that is currently in early clinical development for the treatment of cancer. In recent work, investigators from Creighton University aimed to assess the potential of tizaterkib for the treatment of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL).
Inborn errors of immunity comprise a group of several diseases, the most severe of which are immunodeficiency disorders. The latter are characterized by defective T-cell functioning leading to impaired immunity.
Takara Bio Inc. has announced the development of a novel adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector, Sonuaav, which exhibits high gene transfer efficiency into inner ear tissues, with a collaborator at Juntendo University School of Medicine.
Cochlear Ltd. and Sensorion SA have published encouraging results on the combination of a molecule with a cochlear implant. Their proof-of-concept phase 2a study involved the combination of an orphan drug recognized in both Europe and the U.S. with cutting edge hearing aid implants to enhance the auditory capabilities of hearing aid users.