About this Scientific Research Network
Hearing impairment is the most common sensory deficit in humans. Hearing loss has a significant impact on quality of life, affects more than 1.57 billion people worldwide, and has been listed by the World Health Organization as a priority disease for research into therapeutic interventions. The total global economic costs of hearing loss in 2019 were estimated to exceed $981 billion. Currently, no disease-modifying therapies are available to restore, slow down or prevent sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Instead, treatment is currently focused on hearing rehabilitation, which means fitting hearing aids that amplify sounds in case of moderate-to-severe sensorineural hearing loss. In case of severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), when amplification no longer leads to adequate speech perception, cochlear implantation may provide a solution. In early 2024, preliminary data from several phase 1/2 clinical trials demonstrated the restoration of hearing loss in deaf individuals using genetic therapy (published in 2024 in Nature Medicine and The Lancet). These studies, addressing a rare type of inherited hearing loss (DFNB9, OTOF gene), are the first to show that auditory function can be enhanced or even restored through molecular intervention.
Innovative therapeutic approaches targeting the inner ear (in preclinical research) are based on an increasingly detailed knowledge of the molecular physiology of the cochlea, and of the biological and molecular mechanisms underlying SNHL. About 140 hearing loss genes have been identified, causing impairments of various degrees of severity and evolution. These genes encode different proteins, with different functions in the cochlea, including gene regulation, ion homeostasis, hair cell differentiation, synaptic transmission, neuronal activation, etc. All of these genes may provide a therapeutic target. Similar to therapeutic approaches in other organ systems, each avenue explored must be appropriate for (i) the nature of the causative agent and its pathophysiology; (ii) the target cells (hair cells, supporting cells, auditory neurons or other cell types); (iii) the degree of hearing loss and its natural evolution; and (iv) the goal to prevent hearing loss or restore lost function. Next to therapeutic innovations, there is also a need to move away from subjective evaluation of hearing function and strengthen objective biomarker discovery to detect the impact of these therapies on a pathophysiological level. Finally, there will be a need for non-invasive delivery of inner ear therapies, i.e. targeted delivery without disruption anatomy or physiology.
With the creation of this Scientific Research Network, our objective is to foster both national and international collaboration concerning innovative inner ear therapies that have the potential to cure hearing loss, moving beyond mere rehabilitation efforts. This overarching theme also includes research on objective biomarker discovery to assess the efficacy of these therapeutic approaches. Through this collective approach, we aim to provide an extended framework that catalyzes the dynamic exchange of scientific ideas and resources, to empower all partners to transcend the boundaries of current knowledge, initiate joint efforts to secure external research funding, while fostering targeted training and mobility.