Hey Stefan, how does one tell a primary care doctor in the USA that you want to investigate the root cause of hearing loss that I’ve had diagnosed since I was two years old? A blood or Gene test could be helpful but I am unfamiliar with the process, cost, and keywords that I should mention
Hi gkumar,
I’m sorry, can’t tell you for USA. I’m in Gernany, there a slight indication and a short talk with your Doctor is enough to make the insurance pay for it. As far as I know such a genome analysis is several thousand dollars, but in Germany the patient doesn’t know the costs.
Best regards, Stefan D.
Could it be Dove’s revenge?
I’ve been hearing about hair cell regeneration for about 20 years, and they always say it’s about 5-10 years away. That 5-10 year window keeps shifting into the future. I guess it’s more difficult than they thought. Still, I’m hoping for a cure in my lifetime, but I wish they would hurry, I’m not getting any younger 
Bob
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Ha! Probably…
It does sound like they’re making progress as they are in clinical trials, but I’m reminded that over 25 years ago I read that genetic research would lead to targeted treatments for autism. That has never come to pass.
What they didn’t say was that 5-10 year window was for them to get a clue. Then it was another 5-10 years for them to work out what to do with the clue. From there it’s 5-10 years of clinical trials to satisfy the FDA.
We’ve reached the point where largish pharma has just paid Frequency Therapeutics 80 million USD for the privilege of paying a whole lot more to Frequency Therapeutics for the rights to market their drug if trials are successful. A phase 2a trial should start in the last quarter of this year.
Someone my wife knew was told not to worry about managing his diabetes because a cure was just around the corner. May he r.i.p.
I’m impatient. Hearing loss is isolating and hearing aids only help so much. That 5-10 year window seems like tomorrow. Tomorrow never comes it’s always today, and it’s always 5-10 years away from correcting hearing.
Oh I know it’s difficult and they are working hard on it. Whoever patents the cure will be very rich indeed, and that is a lot of incentive. I know I should be patient, but it’s difficult at times.
I went to a friend’s 70th birthday party, it was frustration. I would have rather stayed home, but he is a good friend and I wanted to support him. But conversation with others was pretty non-existent.
But I’m still here, and otherwise healthy, so if that 5 or 10 year window ever gets here, and if I’m a candidate, I’m going to party down and meet friends in crowded restaurants!!!
Bob
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I’m with you. Forget the Tesla and the house on the beach. I just want to participate in a conversation with more than two people at one time. I want to kick back and listen to music without fiddling with my headphones. I know I should be grateful that I live in a time where hearing aids exist and almost work. I should also be grateful that along with the hearing loss I don’t have Big Ben constantly ringing in my head. I know this. But, please scientists, get off your butts and make those zebrafish deaths count for something. Do it now!
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My neighbor is a Tesla fan. Has one ordered. Says it will run his house if world war 3 happens.
I’m with you, just want to be able to understand people.
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d_Wooluf, you hit the nail on the head.
I too am grateful that the hearing aid technology has gotten to the point where I am not totally isolated - but - if someone offered me a house on the French Riviera and a Rolls Royce or to have my hearing problem cured, I’d take the cure.
Bob
All I know is that within months of receiving Shingles Vaccination my hearing went to profound and without HA I hear nothing at all. Coincidence? I know their is now a new dose
It appears across the board any significant hearing loss breakthrough (medically wise) is ten to twenty years off. There are several reasons for such (pessimistic long term forecasts) but when you think about it - no one really yet understands the reason for hearing loss, the proper way to medically address/correct it and then how to administer the solution. Surgery, drugs, etc. Funding is also a major problem since research costs big bucks and as we’ve all be told - you don’t die from a hearing loss. Sometimes I wonder what will happen first. A cure for blindness or a cure for deafness? Who knows.s
@youbgone. Hearing loss takes many forms but the most common is sensorineural hearing loss due to loss of sensory hair cells in the cochlea. That’s been understood for a long time. There are at least three companies conducting human trials of their drug platforms at the moment. Ten years would be at the outer edge of my expectations. Probably closer to five. If there’s no cure in twenty years you can laugh at me. If my wife hasn’t killed me by then. She probably wants a cure (for me) more than anyone.
Yes but medical science still has questions why sensory hair cells die off early in the first place. At present there is no definite answer. The more companies involved in restoring hearing (or preventing it in the first place) the better. But don’t hold your breath on any type of break through in the near future. Everything moves at a snails pace and as I said before (capital funding is really lacking) in areas of research.
Slightly different but case in point - the CI has been around now for 40 - 45 years but has changed very little from when it was first introduced. You still have to drill a hole through someone’s skull, have external parts, have large battery, etc. You would think after 45 years medical science would of completely revamped the CI into a nice invisible tiny package. Not so and as many know the incoming sound produced by a CI is not normal nor does it perform well in noisy situations.
And if you talk to hearing experts at Stanford, Mass Ear Clinic, House Clinic, etc. they all are saying the answer to “hearing loss” is still way, way off since there are so many hurdles to climb. For now (five to ten years) it’s still going to be hearing aids and CI. Hopefully in ten to twenty years we find a cure or more likely some medical application that improves haring loss but does not fully restore damaged hair cells.
Time marches on but somethings (unfortunately) are not solved over night.
For the average drug phase two and phase three testing take 5 to 6 years then it takes another one to two years for FDA approval. So 6 to 8 years anyways before anything now makes it to market.
However only 1 drug in 5,000 that pass phase 1 trials makes it to market. There is a long way to go with these yet.
If I want to live long enough until they cure my ailment, I’m just going to have to stay healthy and live a long time.
Bob
No argument there really. There is this though. If a treatment actually works, proving it should be a simpler and quicker process than for many drugs. It’s something that’s easy and unambiguous to measure. If you take Frequency Therapeutics’ limited success with efficacy in their phase 1 trial as an indication, improvement would show in weeks.
A recent article on this general topic.