Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Drug Delivery Device Could Restore Hearing

The good gentleman Mr Microbiology has again posted some really excellent materials and info on the RNID website (google it and you will find the site). For sharing with readers :

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Drug Delivery Device Could Restore Hearing
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http://www.masseyeandear.org/news/press_releases/recent/drug_delivery_device/

external link, opens new browser window
Mr Microbiology 22 Jun 2010 01:07

Thanks for the info.

I am pretty sure GenVec, Norvatis, Heller and Rivolta are watching closely, as it should be.

Cheer cheer cheers
wongtanlim3 at yahoo.com 22 Jun 2010 01:36

Yes ,there will be a few researchers looking at the above technology as a method to deliver regenerative medicines to the inner ear.
Unfortunitely in respect to Genvec they are having problems with company stock & finances.
www.fiercebiotech.com/story/struggling-genvec
They still have viable hearing regeneration research but if the company has to sell up this could slow the progression of thier research.
Nevermind ,there are plenty of other research centres / scientists exploring the potential of gene therapy as well.

Cheers.

Mr Microbiology 24 Jun 2010 00:54

...

Ask an Expert...

http://www.dnj.com/article/20100602/ADVERTORIAL01/306020007 (external link, opens new browser window)
26 Jun 2010 18:26

...

Mr Microbiology and wongtanlim3,

Have you guys been or seen this site on Tinnitus before?

http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/mail-on-sunday-london-england-the/mi_8003/is_2010_March_14/brain-zapper-ease-tinnitus/ai_n52452048/?tag=col2;top-active (external link, opens new browser window)

quote
The idea of the stimulation therapy is that it calms down that hyperactivity and so reduces the tinnitus. The device uses repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), which involves repeated magnetic stimuli to the skull to induce electrical activity in the underlying areas of the brain. Lowfrequency stimulation, once a second, has been shown to induce small, sustained reductions in activity in the part of the brain being stimulated.

Several hundred tinnitus sufferers have already been treated with the technology, either through trials or on compassionate grounds. Results from the biggest study so far, of about 200 people, show that placing the device over the left temporal cortex reduced their tinnitus. All the patients had lowfrequency stimulation - 2,000 stimuli a day - for ten days.

In one trial, involving researchers from the University of Regensburg in Germany, placebo stimulation was carried out with a sham coil system that mimicked the sound of active stimulation, without producing a magnetic field. In a second trial, also involving the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, 20 patients received either active or placebo stimulation over the same areas of the brain for five consecutive days.

Symptoms went down significantly in those who had the active treatment and remained at a low level six months later.

'The findings highlight the need for more research into the various types of tinnitus in order to develop the best cures and treatments for sufferers.'

Patients are now being recruited for seven clinical trials in America and Germany looking at rTMS and tinnitus. info@tinnituszentrumregensburg.de
end quote

What do you think, sounds very promising. Seems like they are doing more research before commercializing the device. That's gonna take a long long time.
vandal 28 Jun 2010 02:04

Hi Vandal ,

The internet link I posted earlier today ,
http://www.tinnitusresearch.org/en/meetings/files2010/abstractbook%20Dallas%202010.pdf (external link, opens new browser window)
has a bit about rTMS on page 28 of 76 of the pdf file.

Go to ,
http://www.clinicalconnection.com/searchstudies.aspx (external link, opens new browser window)
and type in tinnitus in the search box.
You will see the area ;
" Results from other databases "
Clink on the area that says ,
Show results from other databases.
Many of the latest tinnitus trials will be shown including the rTMS trials at the moment.
You can get more info by clicking on any one.

Some studies have shown good results from rTMS and others have not.
It is still a grey area that needs to be fine tuned but the conceipt remains promising.
I read about a patient in America who had severe tinnitus and his life begun falling apart around him.
His wife and family were suffering from him becoming an alcoholic which he found gave him relief.
He eventually was accepted on compassionate grounds to have surgery to implant electrodes under the scull which worked on electro stimulation of the tinnitus affected side of the brain.
It was successful in and his tinnitus was deeply reduced if not cured.
He no longer drinks and is very happy with the results.
He has a pacemaker like device (generator) that connects to the implanted electrodes.
It is similar but different to rTMS but is another promising avenue in tinnitus treatment.
There is a bit about this similar therapy here ,
http://www.henryfordhealth.org/body.cfm?id=53644 (external link, opens new browser window)

Cheers & Best Regards.
Mr Microbiology 28 Jun 2010 05:39

Mr Microbiology, thank you for the web site.

The one I have posted is not an implant but still it's a good option for those who doesn't like implants.
vandal 28 Jun 2010 07:17

Hi vandal ,

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation I know is not an implant but it is similar in the way it works to the implanted electrodes.
The theory of rTMS is that it blocks or reduces spontanious firing of overactive neurons in tinnitus.
rTMS works on a low frequency magnetic field being apllied to the brain via an external electromagnet for a period of time.
Electrode implants work on disrupting the spontanious activity of neuron clusters with electrical stimulation but are usually a permanent fixture.

Best Regards.

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