17 tinnitus researchers presented their ideas to us during an online meeting on 19 June 2024.
Video recordings of their pitches will follow, but below is a summary. Of note however is just how diverse their ideas were – we didn’t hear the same idea twice!
Key themes that were highlighted by various presenters included:
- Development of objective measures: There is a critical need to identify objective measures or biomarkers for tinnitus, which could enhance treatment decisions and attract investment.
- Big data: Aggregating and analyzing large datasets, across disciplines and institutions, was highlighted as essential to uncover patterns and improve treatment outcomes.
- Public outreach: Better communication between researchers and the public was stressed as important to inspire funding and ensure patient-driven research.
- Funding diversity: We need to secure sustainable funding from diverse sources to drive innovative research and breakthroughs in tinnitus treatment.
Specific ideas for curing tinnitus included (but were not limited to):
- Biochemical approaches to target inflammatory pathways and oxidative stress with therapeutic interventions and medications.
- Psychedelic-assisted therapy to disrupt neural networks associated with tinnitus.
- Bridging animal model research with human brain tissue data to advance our understanding of tinnitus neuropathology.
- Studying individuals who have ‘silenced’ their tinnitus to find new leads for a cure.
- Low-intensity noise tinnitus suppression (LINTS) as a potential non-invasive treatment strategy.
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I believe in you. Let’s find a cure together.
I believe in you. Let’s work together, share Tinnitus Quest around the world, build networks with all doctors, and battle this annoying illness.
Were the middle ear implants discussed? Dr. Hamid Djalilian is working on it.