Aussie Scientists Develop Inner Ear Drug Delivery Toward Hearing Loss Treatment

Australian researchers have announced a project to develop an inner ear drug delivery system to help repair hearing loss, reports Xinhua . The Bionics Institute said the method would load neurotrophin protein drugs in tiny nanoengineered particles to reach the inner ear areas at safe and effective levels. According to investigators, the current initiative will focus on characterizing how the drugs disperse within the inner ear via the nano particles accurately, helping to provide key data for clinical analyses. The next few steps will be made toward "developing the first therapeutic approach to restore hearing," said lead researcher and Bionics Institute Professor Andrew Wise. The Institute noted noise-induced hearing loss affects workers in sectors ranging from construction, mining, and manufacturing to transport and entertainment, where exposure to loud noise happens every day.