Drug Delivery Systems
The bionic ear electrically stimulates hearing nerves helping profoundly deaf people to communicate.
Deafness causes hearing nerves to degenerate then die. The addition of growth factors (neurotrophins) to the inner ear has shown that there is a reduced level of these hearing nerves dying. However further work is required to establish ways in which these neurotrophins can be safely delivered in humans, with the intention of improving the effectiveness of the bionic ear. This research area takes various approaches to achieve this.
▪ Targeted regeneration of auditory neurons using gene transfer
▪ Protecting the auditory nerve with encapsulated neuroprotective cells
▪ Cell-based neurotrophin delivery with cochlear implantation for long-term rescue of auditory neurons
▪ Nerve protection using nanoparticles to deliver neurotrophins to the deaf ear