Study Highlights Noninvasive Hearing Aid

The AHA! Team — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 05:14:54 +0000

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist via EurekAlert! – New type of hearing aid using an array of micro-epidermal actuators can significantly improve the hearing experience for patients with conductive hearing loss A study from researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine highlights a new approach in addressing conductive hearing loss. A team of scientists, led by Mohammad J. Moghimi, Ph.D., assistant professor of biomedical engineering, designed a new type of hearing aid that not only improves hearing but also offers a safe, non-invasive alternative to implantable devices and corrective surgeries. The study recently published in Communications Engineering, a Nature Portfolio journal. Conductive hearing loss, which most commonly happens in childhood, occurs when sounds do not reach the inner ear. Sound waves are blocked in the outer or middle ear due to ear infections, blockages or structural abnormalities. “Treatment for conductive hearing loss can include corrective surgeries and implantable hearing aids, which can be very invasive, especially for pediatric patients,” Moghimi said. “Flexible hearing aids offer a noninvasive alternative.” To produce vibrations strong enough to reach the cochlea, the part of the inner ear responsible for hearing, the research team designed a flexible hearing aid. The device uses micro-epidermal actuators to create vibrations on the skin behind the ear, which then travel directly to the inner ear, bypassing the ear canal. For the study, 10 participants between the ages of 19 and 39 wore earplugs and earmuffs to simulate conductive hearing loss. Researchers then tested arrays of the actuators to enhance the vibration strength, improve the quality of sounds and control the direction of the vibrations. “We found that using an array of these actuators, rather than a single one, significantly enhances the strength and quality of the vibrations, leading to better hearing outcomes,” Moghimi said. Moghimi also noted that improving hearing in children can reduce delays in language and speech development and boost educational development. “This technology has the potential to improve the quality of life for children with hearing impairments and transform the way we approach pediatric hearing aids,” Moghimi said. The research team will next focus on a larger study to further evaluate the efficacy and safety of the device in children and adults. Journal Communications Engineering DOI 10.1038/s44172-025-00369-7 To read the original article click here.

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Translating Basic Hearing Loss Research into Practical Therapies for Those in Need

AHA Publisher — Fri, 12 Mar 2021 08:00:39 +0000

Creighton University via Newswise – OMAHA, Neb (March 5, 2021) – A research center at Creighton University, dedicated to preserving or restoring hearing loss, has been awarded the largest National Institutes of Health grant in the University’s history. Creighton’s Translational Hearing Center, which was established in 2019, has been awarded $10.8 million payable over five years and competitively renewable up to 15 years, by the NIH-affiliated Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE). The award will fund a working partnership between the Translational Hearing Center, Boys Town National Research Center and the University of Nebraska Medical Center as the three institutions seek to translate basic hearing loss research into practical therapies. Led by Peter Steyger, PhD, professor of biomedical sciences at Creighton and director of the Translational Hearing Center, and Jian Zuo, PhD, chair of the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Creighton, the partnership will build a corps of academic researchers dedicated to battling hearing loss resulting from numerous causes. Researchers will tackle hearing loss in children whose hearing is compromised by antibiotics or other medical treatments, to persons suffering hearing loss in the wake of cancer therapies, those who suffer deafness due to such infections as meningitis, through to natural hearing loss caused by aging. Bo Dunlay, MD, dean of the Creighton University College of Medicine, said the grant will boost the Center’s already high reputation. “The Creighton University Translational Hearing Center is internationally recognized for groundbreaking research that has a simple goal: to improve the lives of countless individuals who are facing hearing loss,” he said. “The COBRE is an important step on this journey.” In its grant application, the Transitional Hearing Center said it will work to improve hearing loss by speeding the transition of research to clinical trials and from there to practical therapies. “Hearing loss in infants and children results in delayed acquisition of listening and spoken language skills critical for academic achievement and impairs career trajectories of affected individuals,” said Peter Steyger, PhD, the application’s principal investigator. “In the aging population, hearing loss without appropriate rehabilitation accelerates aging and cognitive decline.” “This award solidifies our leading position in the nation on drug development for hearing loss.” said Jian Zuo, who is also director of the Drug Discovery Core of the COBRE grant. From this platform, we will launch additional programs to continue excellence in our translational research on hearing loss.” The COBRE grant will enable creation of a unique research environment within the Transitional Hearing Center consisting of junior investigators conducting basic research. An “administrative core” of experienced professionals will coordinate projects with an external advisory committee, all with the goal of developing new therapies and methods of assessing their effectiveness. Researchers will examine peripheral hearing loss as well as compromised relationships between the inner ear and the brain in an effort to identify pharmacotherapeutic strategies. Future plans call for expansion into investigational new drug applications, safety and efficacy studies and clinical trials in patient populations served by Creighton University’s academic medical center, Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) Health Systems, and with Boys Town National Research Center and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The success of this COBRE grant application is the result of extensive collaboration among many individuals who dedicated significant amount of time and effort in multiple departments and across multiple schools at Creighton University. These included the School of Medicine, the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions and the School of Dentistry. In addition, the Creighton School of Medicine made a significant commitment to ensure the success of the Center. The Creighton University Translational Hearing Center was created in 2019 on the foundation of a grant from the Bellucci DePaoli Family Foundation, which honors the memory of Richard Bellucci, MD’42. After graduating from Creighton and returning to his native New York City, Bellucci made some of the 20th century’s most important contributions in the fields of otology and otolaryngology. The center is directed by Steyger, a native of Manchester, England, who as a 14-month-old boy lost his hearing to meningitis and has since dedicated his career to preventing a similar fate from befalling other children. To read the original article click here.

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Study Highlights Noninvasive Hearing Aid

Translating Basic Hearing Loss Research into Practical Therapies for Those in Need