New Potential Treatment For Hearing Loss Brings Hope To Millions

There comes a point in time when most people working in the content end of the music business get serious about their hearing. When you first start, the only thing better than loud is louder, but after a while, we begin to realize that hearing is a resource that, when damaged, doesn’t heal like other parts of the body. That’s why a new breakthrough from researchers at the University of California and Harvard could give hope to millions suffering from some form of hearing loss.

Believe it or not, hearing loss is more widespread than you might think. About 48 million, or 20 percent, of all Americans report experiencing hearing loss, 60 percent of whom are in the workforce or educational setting. The most startling fact is that by age 65, one in three people are already experiencing hearing loss problems. It’s not limited to older Americans either. 15 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 19 actually experience some form and degree of hearing loss.

How does hearing loss occur? It often happens when the pathways that supply the ability to transmit messages from the ears to the brain that creates the hearing becomes damaged through years of wear and tear. According to USC, there are new drugs that can target these already damaged cells and promote regeneration, but the problem is that the ear has fluids that naturally flush things out, including any medicines.

Researchers are now working on a medication that can latch onto the inner ear so that it can carry out its function without being flushed out. Such a drug could help millions of people suffering from hearing problems, but for now, aids are still the go-to solution for hearing problems.

The study published in the journal Bioconjugate Chemistry tested the drug on animal tissues in a petri dish, so a real hearing loss drug is still a ways off.