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Hearing loss cure - stem cell or eardrops

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I decided to google the latest findings in hearing loss cure. Every yr it seems these companies are on the verge of finding a cure. Rinri Therapeutics are a uk based biotechnology company that seem to be on the verge of a hearing loss cure using stem cell treatment for sensorineural hearing loss. Frequency therapeutics is another company based in the united states although the recent clinical trials were mostly unsuccessful. If a cure is found for hearing loss within the next 5 yrs i wonder what the costs would be to have stem cells implanted in the ear or ear drops to grow outer and inner hair cells that are already dead in the cochlear. Also, if those of us with severe or profound hearing loss do hold out instead of getting a cochlear implant, how many years extra would it take for surgery to be approved to the public. If residual hearing is lost from would stem cell treatment still work? These thoughts have been rattling around my brain before im due for hearing aids or possibly CI.

Your hearing loss is mild to severe. I’d be surprised if hearing aids won’t work you.

Best get an evaluation from an audiologist and decide based on wearing up to date hearing aids.

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@Zebras. Sorry as the is an old one nearly 30 yrs ago and my left ear has since deteriorated. It will be updated when i start trial of hearing aids. I do hope they work though. Your words are very encouraging

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Don’t hold your breath on a hearing loss cure. I am no expert on this but I’ve followed a lot of news in this area, well, for the last 25 years - even longer. In 1995 I spoke to somebody at the RNID and they said it will be at least 10 years before more is known. And every decade later - it’s another 10 years.

Frequency Therapeutics? Their share price bombed after their phase 2 results showed zero effect in improving the subjects involved in that trial. In actual fact the expectation of that trial anyway was for only a small improvement of 10 to 20db in the high frequencies. From memory there was an improvement in word recognition scores in phase 1 but there was no movement in pure tone audiometry.

Rinri Therapeutics are in conjunction with Sheffield University who have a research department. I don’t want to downplay their work - but I don’t think they are on the verge. If they are I would be ecstatic.

The good news is, and you may not accept it, is that digital hearing aid technology is now almost 25 years old and it’s getting better all the time. Of course, if you have had normal hearing - it’s a difficult comparison.

I’ve been following hearing improvement therapies for decades. They always predict 5 to 10 years in the future. 5 to 10 years later, they are still predicting 5 to 10 years from the later date.

I follow, but I’m not holding my breath. It seems that it’s a very difficult thing to accomplish.

Bob

For context, the first post about Frequency Therapeutics’ FX-322 appeared on these forums 4.5 years ago. It would have taken at least that long to get to that point from the initial idea in the Harvard labs that spawned it. At this point, even if FX-322 does a Lazarus (the company still claims they believe in it), it’s at least 5 years away from approval.

So that’s at least 15 years from the time they identify a possible treatment. Add to that the time it takes to actually come up with the idea in the first place…

I didn’t always feel this way, but if I were a candidate for a right now, I wouldn’t allow any ideas about imminent cures to influence my decision.

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