3 Days, 14 Scientists, 1 Goal

By Tara Guastella

From November 10 to 12, the annual meeting of the Hearing Restoration Project consortium took place in Seattle to discuss progress of their research toward a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus.  

The weekend started with a team-building outing at two of Seattle's iconic attractions: Chihuly Glass Museum and the Space Needle. The group first admired a colorful array of beautiful glass sculptures at the museum, followed by a marvelous 360-degree view of Seattle. The group then enjoyed a relaxed dinner together before the real work of the meeting was to commence.

Early Monday morning, each group of researchers began presenting their progress on the five funded HRP projects. Each of the groups presented their initial findings on the genomics of mouse, chicken, and zebrafish studies. This work helps us learn how these animals are capable of inner ear hair cell regeneration in order to identify ways to translate this to humans. Each member of the consortium contributed to the discussion on how we can compare this cross-species data, something that would not be possible without the collaborative design of the HRP.

The progress of the work on each project led to a discussion of how to update the HRP’s Strategic Research Plan to reflect what we have learned through the first year and a half of funding these HRP projects. Check back on our website for the updated plan, to be published online soon, as well as in a future issue of Hearing Health magazine.

See more meeting photos in our Facebook album.

All Hail Supporting Cells

By Yishane Lee

We have the ability to hear, thanks to the sensitive hair cells located in our ears. They are called hair cells because of their hair-like shape, long and thin (resembling the hairs on your head yet having nothing to do with them). When these hair cells die or are damaged, it is permanent. And so is the resulting loss of hearing. Unlike in other species—such as birds, fish, and amphibians—in mammals including humans, once these cells die, they don’t grow back or repair themselves, which makes it even more critical to keep them alive.

Supporting cells, as their name suggests, support hair cells both structurally and nutritionally. But a new study of supporting cells in the inner ears of mice reveals yet another role—one that is hugely important for researchers working to restore hearing in mammals.

Writing in July in an online edition of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, scientists at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), found that supporting cells can actually actively help repair damaged sensory hair cells.

Supporting cells and a chemical they produce called heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) appear to play a critical role in protecting damaged hair cells from death in the ears of mice. Senior study author Lisa Cunningham, Ph.D., said, “Our study indicates that when the inner ear is under stress, the cell that responds by generating protective proteins is not a hair cell, but a supporting cell.” Cunningham and her team are collaborating with a clinical team at the NIDCD to design a clinical trial. It will look at ways to induce the production of HSP70 in the inner ear.

Further, our Hearing Restoration Project consortium members Albert Edge, Ph.D. of Harvard Medical School, Stefan Heller, Ph.D. of Stanford University, and Elizabeth Oesterle, Ph.D. of University of Washington are trying to figure out what happens to supporting cells after hair cells die or are damaged. Their project, “Supporting Cell Fate Mapping,” has so far found that some promising news regarding supporting cells and their function. In “Making a Map,” an article in the Fall issue of Hearing Health, Dr. Oesterle writes:

“After some severe insults (damage), the nonsensory supporting cells in the [auditory] epithelium [the organ of Corti] can retain some normal cellular identity for long periods of time. This is encouraging because in non-mammals it is the supporting cells that give rise to new replacement hair cells after hair cells are lost. After various severe insults, our data suggest that the supporting cells die and neighboring cells—cells that are normally abutting the sensory epithelium—move in.”

Both recent research results show that while we still have more to learn about the roles of supporting cells, their support they provide may be crucial to the search for a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus.

Marathoning for a Cure for Hearing Loss and Tinnitus

By Tara Guastella

Whether it’s cycling, running, swimming, or whatever interests you—be it baking, knitting, or painting—we can work together to help you fundraise to help HHF fund research that will cure hearing loss. This fall, several individuals across the country will be running a marathon for a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus while raising funds to help HHF support groundbreaking research.

Marine Corps Marathon
Sixteen years ago, Julie Davis joined a group of 50 million people in this country, and it wasn't by choice. Her left ear stopped working and the buzzing and ringing started. Not only had she experienced profound hearing loss, but she also acquired vertigo, balance issues, and other consequences associated with hearing loss that many people rarely discuss. On October 27, 2013, Julie will Run for the Buzz in the Marine Corp Marathon and is raising funds for a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus. Support her run today!

ING New York City Marathon
On November 3, 2013, Tom Abbey, Veronica Calhoun, Tara Guastella (HHF staff member and the author of this post), Andy Shepard, and Kim Montini will tackle the 26.2 miles of the NYC Marathon in support of a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus. Each team member is spending the next several months training for the run with Tom Abbey of Functional Fitness VA, a team member and trainer. Whether being impacted by hearing loss personally or through a family member, each team member is excited to raise funds for HHF in order to expedite the timeline to a cure.
    
Visit Team Hearing Health's Marathon page and support the team as they run through the five boroughs of NYC for a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus.

Learn about other unique ways individuals are fundraising to cure hearing loss. If you are interested in fundraising for a cure, please contact development@hhf.org.

Tinnitus 101

By Yishane Lee

Hearing loss occurs with roughly 90 percent of tinnitus cases. Tinnitus is sometimes the first sign of hearing loss. Our Hearing Restoration Project promises a cure within the next decade not only for hearing loss, but also for tinnitus.

We recently did a special issue on tinnitus in Hearing Health magazine. Tinnitus affects up to 50 million people in the U.S. to some degree. Some 16 million people seek medical attention for their chronic tinnitus.

And for up to 2 million people, debilitating tinnitus affects their daily lives. Among veterans, tinnitus and hearing loss are the top service-related disabilities among veterans.

What exactly is tinnitus? What causes it? What does it sound like? What is its effect? And will it get better? These are many questions we address in our special issue.

Tinnitus in childhood is also a phenomenon, with incidence rates roughly equal to that of adults. It presents challenges for the young patient who may not have the ability to name the condition.

Here are treatment options we covered in the special issue:

• A combination of counseling and sound therapy has proven effective for people with chronic tinnitus.

• Devices that can be worn on the ear deliver sound therapy for tinnitus relief virtually anytime and anywhere.

• Drugs for tinnitus can be vetted through clinical trials, but the evidence for their efficacy remains thin.

• Efforts are under way to figure out how to dampen the neural hyperactivity that leads to tinnitus.

• A sequential program emerges as one of the most promising, research-based methods to help veterans manage their tinnitus.

We also featured the latest technology, including new hearing aids, billed as helpful for tinnitus sufferers.

Please also check out our new tinnitus section online where you’ll find even more resources and information about tinnitus, and where you can also sign up for emails with the latest news about tinnitus.

HHF Exhibits at 92 St Y StreetFest

By Tara Guastella

HHF staff members Veronica Moreno and Ayana Anderson

On September 15, HHF sponsored and exhibited at the 92 St Y StreetFest on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. HHF staff members and volunteers from the Royal Arch Masons, a HHF major donor, had the opportunity to speak with thousands of New Yorkers and discuss how a chicken can lead us to a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus.

Chickens (and most non-mammals) can regenerate their own hair cells and as a result restore their own hearing. We explained how our Hearing Restoration Project is working to translate this process to humans in order to develop a biologic cure for hearing loss and tinnitus.

Attendees were also provided the opportunity to enter a contest to win a $50 Target gift card by guessing the number of fuzzy chicken toys in a glass jar. The winner of the contest hit the nail on the head by guessing 750 chickens! Our booth also featured an abundance of Peeps (chick-shaped, marshmallow candy), chick temporary tattoos, and a plethora of information about HHF’s work toward a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus.

Volunteers from the Royal Arch Masons with HHF staff member Tara Guastella

HHF was honored to be a part of this event to spread the word about our work. We are also extremely grateful for the support of the Royal Arch Masons for their generous help at this event and their continued support of HHF’s Emerging Research Grant Awardees studying central auditory processing disorder (CAPD).

Meet Us at the 92nd Street Y Street Festival Sept. 15

By Tara Guastella

This Sunday Sept. 15, HHF is sponsoring and exhibiting at the 92 Street Y Street Festival on the Upper East Side in Manhattan. This festival draws thousands of attendees and we are excited to meet with New Yorkers to talk with them about our work to develop a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus.

Did you know that a chicken holds the key to a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus? More than 25 years ago, research partially funded by HHF led to the discovery that chickens can spontaneously regenerate the sensitive hair cells needed for hearing in order to restore their hearing. This knowledge is the underlying basis for our Hearing Restoration Project (HRP). Our consortium of researchers, all leaders in their fields, are working together to take what we know happens in chickens (and most non-mammals) and apply that to humans.    

Lots of fun chicken-related giveaways, perfect for all ages, will be provided to attendees along with information on ways you can get involved to support a cure. If you’re in the NYC area, make sure to stop by our booth #323, pick up some goodies, and learn more. See you there!  
 

The 92 St. Y Street Festival is taking place from 12 - 5pm on Lexington Avenue between 79th Street and 96th Street in NYC.

Dr. Edge Speaks at Harvard Club of New York About Search for Hearing Loss Cure

New York, NY, April 19, 2012 -- Dr. Albert Edge, Department of Otolaryngology, Harvard Medical School and Hearing Restoration Project Consortium Member spoke to nearly 100 people at the Harvard Club of New York about the search for a biologic cure for hearing loss.

"Replacing cells in the inner ear is an exciting potential new therapy for deafness," said Dr. Edge.  Hair cells in the inner ear convert sound information into electrical signals that enable the brain to “hear” the outside world. More than 25 years ago, researchers discovered that birds naturally regrow damaged hair cells and regain their hearing. In humans, hearing loss is permanent when the hair cells are damaged.

Now a whole new science has evolved to find a way to trigger hair cell regrowth in humans. This could mean a biologic cure for the nearly 50 million Americans living with various forms of hearing loss.

About Dr. Albert Edge (Harvard Medical School) is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology. At the Tillotson Unit for Cell Biology in the Eaton-Peabody Laboratory at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Dr. Edge’s research is focused stem cells and the basic mechanisms of cellular repair in the nervous system. Dr. Edge is also studying the loss of sensory cells in the inner ear that result in deafness due to excessive noise, drugs, disease, or aging.