AHRF News

October 20, 2011 — The American Hearing Research Foundation has selected five grants to fund in 2012. The foundation received 35 research grant proposals this year. These grants are for $20,000 for one year of research starting January 1, 2012.

• “Actin metabolism in hearing loss”
  Benjamin Perrin, PhD, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
• “Role of En1 in the specification and differentiation of superior olivary complex neurons”
  Stephen Maricich, MD, PhD, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland
• “Contributions of auditory cortex and inferior colliculus to plasticity in frequency tuning”
  Shaowen Bao, PhD, University of California — Berkeley
• “The striated organelle in inner ear hair cells: ultrastructural and proteomic studies”
  Anna Lysakowski, PhD, University of Illinois, Chicago
• “Neural correlates of speech envelope and fine structure as evident by the frequency-following response (FFR)”
  Jong Ho Won, PhD, University of Washington, Seattle

October 2011 – AHRF-funded researchers Qiong Wang, PhD, and Steven Green, PhD, both at the University of Iowa, have found that damage caused by exposure to loud noises in the inner ear may occur long before changes in hearing are perceived. They have also identified a chemical factor that may aid in restoring hearing loss due to noise exposure. Their findings were published in the May 25, 2011 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.

The researchers studied intact cochlear cultures consisting of hair cells and spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) taken from mice. Hair cells are structures within the cochlea that pick up sound and translate it into signals carried by auditory nerves (the SGNs) to the brain, where the signals are interpreted as sound.

Exposure to very loud noise can kill the hair cells and cause hearing loss, a phenomenon that has been well known for many decades. Much more recent research has revealed another, even more insidious consequence of noise. Noise levels too low to kill hair cells are still able to cause irreversible damage to the cochlea, damage that may not be immediately evident but that results in accelerated hearing loss over the following decades of life. This is a particular problem in young people exposed to moderately high noise, such as constantly listening to mp3 players at high volume, or attending loud concerts. Damage included a loss of connection between the hair cells and their SGNs. Loss of contact between hair cells and some SGNs may not have much impact on hearing and people affected may not experience any hearing loss at the time of the incident, but the hidden damage—loss of some hair cells-SGN connections— is still there. Over time, the loss of contact with hair cells causes SGNs to die leading to faster or more severe hearing loss with aging or subsequent exposure to noise.

“Most people who think they have normal hearing are probably living with some level of hearing damage- they just don’t notice it,” says Wang. “Just being exposed to some of the sounds of everyday life, over time, can have an effect on the inner ear, especially loud or prolonged exposure to noise.”

The question tackled by Wang and Green was how to develop an in vitro (outside a living organism) system to study noise damage to hair cell-SGN connections. With the help of novel experimental techniques, Wang and Green were able to culture intact cochlear tissue from rats and mice consisting of hair cells, their associated SGNs, and preserve the connections between them. They exposed the tissue to high levels of glutamate, a substance released in excess from hair cells during acoustic trauma and observed damage to the hair cell-SGN connections very much like that observed after noise in living animals.

Next, Wang and Green applied two neurotrophic factors to the tissue- neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), which is known to be crucial for normal development of the cochlea during embryonic development, and BDNF, another neurotrophic factor involved in cochlear development. “NT-3 is actually produced by the hair cells and is necessary for maintaining the connection between SGNs and hair cells,” says Wang.

 They found that both these factors stimulated formation of connections and regrowth of the SGNs in their culture tissue after mimicking noise exposure using glutamate. They also found that NT-3 has a unique role that can’t be substituted by application of BDNF.

 The researchers believe that when the SGNs retract, they lose contact with hair cells and their normal supply of NT-3. They may be permanently lost if the supply isn’t reestablished quickly enough. Addition of NT-3 encouraged reconnection and could be a promising component of future therapies.

 “Exposure to lots of loud noise when you are young does lead to accelerated age-related hearing loss later in life,” Wang says, “indicating that the damage from noise early in life continues to have deleterious effects over time.” She believes this may be due to lost connections between hair cells and SGNs that never recover.

The research helps shed light on the complex chemical communication between hair cells and SGNs and hints as to how it may be harnessed for therapeutic interventions to treat acoustic trauma in the future. Dr. Green adds that “it is a long road from these initial observations to therapy and the best advice for now is to turn down the volume when using earbuds!”

Dr. Rachakonda at the CORE Research Awards ceremony with Larry Lustig, MD

October 2011 – Tara Rachakonda, MD of Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, is working on developing a unique hearing-related quality of life assessment for adolescents with hearing loss, the Hearing Environments and Reflection on Quality of Life Questionnaire, or the HEAR-QL. Dr. Rachakonda is the 2011-2012 recipient of the American Hearing Research Foundation Wiley H. Harrison Memorial Research Grant.

 The rate of hearing loss in adolescents has increased over the past decade.  Currently there are no hearing-related quality of life (QOL) assessments tailored for adolescents. Having an adolescent-specific QOL questionnaire regarding hearing loss will help identify challenges faced by this group, and will assist clinicians measure the effectiveness of their therapies for this age group.

 The HEAR-QL was developed at the Washington University School of Medicine by conducting focus groups with pediatric patients with hearing loss and their families to uncover their specific concerns.  In her study, Dr. Rachakonda plans to test the validity and reliability of the HEAR-QL questionnaire by comparing the instrument with other surveys, including a generic health-related quality of life tool.

Researchers at The University of Washington, Seattle, have placed a modified cochlear implant into the inner ear of a 56 year old man with Meniere’s disease, a severe balance disorder, that they believe will allow him to halt debilitating dizzy spells right in their tracks.

Meniere’s disease is a balance disorder characterized by mild to intense episodes of dizziness, where in the worst cases, standing and walking become impossible and the associated nausea can be completely debilitating. The attacks are believed to be cause by tears or other insults to the membranes of the vestibular tissues.

Jay Rubinstein, MD, PhD and James Phillips, PhD, developed a device to interrupt dizzy spells based on the cochlear implant, which has been used to restore hearing in deafened patients for more than 20 years. Cochlear implants are surgically implanted into the inner ear. The wire-like portion of the implant is threaded into the cochlea (a coiled, shell-like structure) and electrically stimulates it at specific contact points in response to sounds picked up by an external processor that sits atop the outer ear. The stimulated nerves send signals to the brain which interprets them as sound. The vestibular implant is placed within the labyrinth- the part of the inner ear housing the organs involved in balance. These structures include three thin tubes called the semicircular canals. The vestibular implant is threaded into one or more of the canals and electrically stimulates points along the canal. There is an external processor that sits behind the ear, just like a cochlear implant. The patient can control the activity of the electrical stimulation remotely with a hand-held control device. By turning a dial, the patient can regulate how much stimulation is being sent to the semicircular canals and can find a “sweet spot” that helps override the dizzy attacks.

The most effective traditional therapy for severe Meniere’s is a labyrinthectomy- a destructive procedure that destroys the labyrinth- the part of the inner ear that houses the vestibular apparatus. This surgery typically results in hearing loss, and is only performed on patients whose Meniere’s is unrelenting and where hearing loss or deafness has already occurred, or cannot be aided by hearing aids. Placing the vestibular implant, while it can cause some hearing loss, is viewed as less likely to cause the profound deafness which is the norm for labyrinthectomies.

The researchers implanted their vestibular implant into all three of the patient’s semicircular canals in October 2010. After allowing the patient to heal from the surgery, and the physicians had time to program the device, it was a waiting game for the patient to have a dizzy spell so that the device could be tested. After six months, they had their chance. The patient had a dizzy attack. He used the remote control to activate the stimulation and found a setting which significantly reduced the symptoms of the attack.

The researchers hope to implant nine more patients in the near future who have been cleared as candidates for the device.

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In late 2010, the FDA approved a new hearing device called the Envoy Esteem. The Esteem is a fully implantable hearing aid with an external remote control. The battery has a life of up to nine years. The device is indicated for patients with moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss with a speech discrimination score of greater than 40 percent. Most patients who are candidates for the Esteem have already tried conventional hearing aids and are unsatisfied with them for any number of reasons from poor sound quality to frustration with using and wearing the hearing aid.

The Esteem works differently from conventional hearing aids, which pick up and amplify the volume of external sounds. The Esteem is implanted via an outpatient surgical procedure. A sensor is attached to the incus and a driver is attached to the stapes. The Esteem uses the patient’s own eardrum as the microphone. When sound vibrates the eardrum, the malleus moves and this moves the incus. The sensor picks up these vibrations and sends them electronically to the sound processor, which sends them to the driver, which is attached to the stapes. The sound processor is programmable and has a battery life of up to nine years. Changing the battery can be done via a simple outpatient procedure.

Patients are allowed to heal for approximately eight weeks after surgery and then the device is then activated. All programming can be done via the remote control. Usually a few postoperative appointments are done in the first six months to maximize the gains of the device. Most patients report significant gains in word recognition and hearing. Some patients have later gone on to have surgery in the contralateral ear.

The surgical procedure is technically demanding and the overall plan is to have 10 to 20 centers of excellence in the United States. In the Midwest, Dr. Sam Marzo, a Professor of Otology, Neurotology, and Skull Base Surgery, in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at Loyola University Health System, has been trained in how to perform the surgery and has successfully implanted several patients since Dec 2010.

At present, the total cost for the device is approximately $30,000. This includes the device, surgical procedure fee, anesthesia fee, and surgery center fee. More information can be obtained at www.envoymedical.com

MAY 2011 – The American Hearing Research Foundation has added Sam Marzo, MD, to its board of directors. Dr. Marzo is a professor in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at Loyola University Health System of Chicago. He is the Director of the Loyola Hearing & Balance Center, and the Residency Program Director. Dr. Marzo is also the Director of the Parmly Hearing Institute, a research center at Loyola dedicate to hearing research. The Institute is currently investigating cranial nerve injuries and auditory nerve tumors as well as the effect of Vicodin on hearing loss. In 2010, Dr. Marzo began offering the Envoy Esteem implantable hearing aid, the first implantable hearing available.

After attending medical school and completing an Otolarygology residency at Loyola, he went on to a fellowship in Otology, Neurotology, and Skull Base Surgery at the Otology Group in Nashville, Tennessee. His practice is limited to Otology, Neurotology, and Skull Base Surgery. His interests include the medical and surgical management of diseases of the ear, facial nerve and base of skull. He is an expert in ear surgery, cochlear implants, BAHA hearing restoration, facial nerve disorders and acoustic neuromas. He has ongoing research projects in facial nerve injury and regeneration, as well as intratympanic therapy for sudden hearing loss.

The AHRF is accepting research proposals for its 2012 funding cycle. The AHRF funds research on hearing loss, otology and balance disorders related to the inner ear. Researchers must be based at universities or hospitals within the United States or Canada. Submission guidelines can be found on our Research Appilcations Guidelines page.

The Deadline for applications is Monday, August 1, 2011.

Kelvin Kwan, Ph.D., Instructor in Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School, Boston, has been investigating ways to create large amounts of hair cells needed for research and cell-based therapies.

One of the challenges in hair cell research is the difficulty in harvesting enough hair cells to perform molecular experiments. An inner ear may have only 10-30,000 hair cells, so thousands of animals – typically mice, which are also very expensive to maintain – may be needed to collect enough hair cells for experiments. Additionally, inner ears are tiny and very hard to dissect in order to get at the various tissues. “This is a huge impediment in hair cell research,” Kwan says.  He hopes to develop techniques to create hair cell lines that will continuously divide and have the potential to differentiate into functional human hair cells.

In order to generate a cell line, Kwan introduced transcription factors, molecules that bind to DNA and work at the genetic level, into progenitor cells.  These transcription factors “reprogram” cells by remodeling chromatin and influence gene expression.  Progenitor cells are similar to stem cells, in that they continually divide; however, they are “lineage restricted” and can only become a few kinds of inner ear cells, including hair cells.  Because of their restriction, not only are they easier to guide down the path to become hair cells, more hair cells can be made.  The ability to generate large numbers of a specific cell type overcomes a major hurdle for cell-based therapies.   So far, his techniques are promising to yield more hair cells than any other method.

In addition to promoting cell based therapies, progenitor cells can be used for discovering drugs to treat deafness. “If you could find a specific compound that turns a progenitor cell into a hair cell, you could isolate that compound and possibly  regenerate hair cells in deaf animals.” While this is the long term goal of Kwan’s research, for now, he is interested in perfecting his process for growing large numbers of hair cells for experimentation.

The AHRF will be holding a special fund raiser on Wednesday, March 23 at Chicago’s premier beer place, the Hop Haus at 646 N. Franklin in the Loop.

Tickets are $25 and get you a drink ticket and one raffle ticket for an Apple iPad.

There will be live music, food, and friends.

Come out and help support hearing research!

RSVP tp Sharon Parmet at (312) 726-9670 or sparmet@american-hearing.org

This past October, the AHRF selected five grants to fund for the 2011 funding cycle. The grants are diverse, ranging from genetic studies to hearing loss and its effects on the brain.

• Kelvin Kwan, PhD, Harvard Medical School, Boston
  “Proliferation and differentiation of hair-cell progenitors”
• Zhengqing Hu, MD, PhD, Wayne State University, Detroit
  “Regeneration of the central process of spiral ganglion neurons using a cell-based replacement”
• Amanda Lauer, PhD, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore
  “Consequences of progressive hearing loss in the auditory brainstem”
• Michael Lovett, PhD, Wasington University School of Medicine, St. Louis
  “Identifying genes that specify the cochlear tonotopic gradient”
• Jonathan Fisher, PhD, Rockefeller University, New York
  “Novel optical techniques for investigating active hearing in the mammalian cochlea”

Dr. Alan Micco, 48, an associate professor of Otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) and Neurological Surgery at Northwestern University, tackles tinnitus in his research and medical practice. He talks about the causes and treatments for tinnitus. Click here to read the full article.

Nina Kraus, Ph.D., of Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, has published a paper in Nature Reveiws Neuroscience on how music affects the brain. She believes that musical training can shape the brain in beneficial ways. Click here to read more about it.

 Potts explains that before we detect hearing any sound, it is already causing neurons to fire and electrical signals are being carried to the brain. Scientists can measure these electrical signals using a process called auditory brainstem response (ABR). This process measures the transmission of sound signals from the auditory nerve exiting the inner ear to the brain, where these signals are translated and perceived as sound.

When this test is done clinically, patients listen to clicks. But now, researchers are exploring the use of more lifelike sounds, including speech sounds such as “da” as the stimulus. This new technique is called speech-evoked ABR, and it was developed by Nina Kraus, Ph.D., Professor of Speech, Communication Sciences and Disorders; Neurobiology and Physiology at Northwestern University, and a member of the AHRF’s research committee. The software associated with speech-evoked ABR is called BioMARK (Biological Marker of Auditory Processing). BioMark has been used primarily in normal-hearing people, most often children with learning impairments. Potts and colleagues used BioMARK to evaluate 30 adult patients with and without hearing loss.

Potts found that louder intensities of sound stimulus produced more distinct responses, for both normal-hearing and hearing-impaired individuals.

Potts also found that age may have an effect on the response, with older individuals having less robust responses. People taking part in the study were aged 42 to 73 years old.

Potts also measured the responses of hearing-impaired individuals who use hearing aids. These measures showed variability between the aided and unaided responses. This difference is reflective of the change in the stimulus caused by amplification from the hearing aid. This finding is important because Kraus has shown that the neural response mimics the stimulus. Therefore a change in the stimulus loudness level due to amplification with a hearing aid would change the neural response, as Potts’ study confirmed.

Research proposals for the 2011 funding cycle are due Monday, August 2 by 12:00 noon. Please see the grant application guidelines for instructions on how to submit your proposal.

For 2010, the American Hearing Research Foundation will be funding six grants. This year, we received the highest number of grant proposals in our history—41 proposals in all. The following grants will begin on January 1, 2010, and will be funded for $20,000 for one year.

Nicole Schmitt, M.D.
University of Washington, Seattle
“Significance of tumor necrosis factor alpha in cisplatin ototoxicity in Vivo”

Douglas Cotanche, Ph.D.
Boston University School of Medicine, Massachusetts
“Cell fate regulation in cochlear development and regeneration”

Anand Mhatre, Ph.D.
New York University, New York
“Biological role of nonmuscle myosin IIA in sensory hair cells”

Saima Riazuddin, Ph.D.
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Ohio
“Generation and characterization of a mouse model of DFNB26”

Angelika Doetzlhofer, Ph.D.
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
“Response of supporting cell to hair loss in the mammalian cochlea”

Sharba Bandyopadhyay, Ph.D.
University of Maryland, College Park
“Alterations in neural processing in the auditory cortex with early noise induced hearing loss”

Nicole Schmitt, M.D.
University of Washington, Seattle
“Significance of tumor necrosis factor alpha in cisplatin ototoxicity in Vivo”

Cisplatin is a common chemotherapy drug used to treat cancer that often has the side effect of causing hearing loss in the higher frequencies. The hearing loss is due to the loss or damage of outer hair cells in the cochlea. It is thought that the cisplatin causes oxidative stress within the hair cells to cause them to enter apoptosis, or programmed cell death. One of the downstream factors that is triggered by cisplatin is a pro-inflammatory chemical called tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). In test tube studies, it has been shown that TNF-alpha plays an important role in ototoxicity. Schmitt and colleagues will investigate the role of TNF-alpha in animals. They will use mice to determine the location of TNF-alpha generation in the mouse cochlea after administration of cisplatin, and also investigate the level of toxicity caused by cisplatin in mice that do not produce TNF-alpha, and in mice that overproduce TNF-alpha.

Douglas Cotanche, Ph.D.
Boston University School of Medicine, Massachusetts
“Cell fate regulation in cochlear development and regeneration”

Birds can regenerate hair cells in the cochlea once they are lost – an ability that mammals do not possess. When hair cells are lost in birds, following loud noise exposure or administration of ototoxic drugs in the lab, the supporting cells around the hair cells turn into new hair cells. Cotanche and colleagues hope that by studying this process in birds, they will be able to induce the mammalian cochlear cells to undergo a similar regeneration. Specifically, the researchers will study the genetics involved in supporting cell transduction into hair cells in chicks and mice. They hope to gain understanding of the molecular processes involved in hair cell regeneration in order to cause the same regeneration in mammalian cells.

Anand Mhatre, Ph.D.
New York University, New York
“Biological role of nonmuscle myosin IIA in sensory hair cells”

Myosin is a cellular structure normally found in muscles, but it is also found in other cells and often serves as a structural scaffolding for the cell. A gene called MYH9 produces a nonmuscle myosin protein called NMHC-IIA. Mutations in this gene have been linked to hereditary hearing loss. NMHC-IIA has been found in adult mouse sensory hair cells. Mhatre and colleagues want to study how the complete loss of the MYH9 gene would affect hearing in mice, but aniomals without this gene die as embryos. To get around this problem, the researchers will inactivate the MYH9 gene post-natally within the ear. They will be able to test their hypothesis that the loss of NMHC-IIA (after birth) will disrupt the structural and/or functional integrity of sensory hair cells and will result in hearing loss. The results of this study will provide insight into the role of NMHC-IIA in the sensory hair cells and the mechanism of hearing loss caused by its dysfunction.

Saima Riazuddin, Ph.D.
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Ohio
“Generation and characterization of a mouse model of DFNB26”

More than 100 gene locations have been indentified as contributing to hearing loss in its various forms. However, knowledge on how genes affect hearing remain inadequate. Researchers need to be able to study and develop animal models to study disease causing mutations, and to define the molecular pathways leading to hearing loss to ultimately develop therapeutic approaches to treating deafness. Riazuddin and colleagues have recently mapped a deafness causing gene called DFNB26 in an extended family. They also discovered another gene that that suppresses the deafness-causing gene. The researchers hope to study how these two genes work to cause and prevent deafness among the members of this family by developing mice with these genes. The study will provide valuable models for defining the role of DFNB26 in the inner ear and to develop treatment strategies for this disease.

Angelika Doetzlhofer, Ph.D.
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
“Response of supporting cell to hair loss in the mammalian cochlea”

Doetzelhofer and colleagues hope to uncover the molecular signals activated in supporting cells after hair cell loss, and what pathways may inhibit hair cell regeneration. In mammals, hair cells only develop during embryonic development, and when hair cells are lost, they are not replaced. However, in birds, when hair cells are lost, supporting cells can transform into new hair cells. Researchers believe that supporting hair cells, even in mammals, have the ability to transform into hair cells, but that signals from adjacent cells and/or dying hair cells block supporting cells from becoming new hair cells. Doetzlhofer and colleagues will investigate these inhibitory pathways and will look at changes in gene expression in supporting cells as hair cells are lost. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that prevent hair cell regeneration in mammals is a crucial first stem in developing successful hair cell replacement therapies.

Sharba Bandyopadhyay, Ph.D.
University of Maryland, College Park
“Alterations in neural processing in the auditory cortex with early noise induced hearing loss”

Bandyopadhyay and colleagues will investigate how areas of inhibitory and excitatory neurons in the auditory cortex change due to early sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Understanding changes in these areas after early SNHL will help to uncover mechanisms leading to altered perception of sound. These discoveries will help to design better hearing aid algorithms and cochlear implant stimulation paradigms that take these changes in auditory processing into account.

Katherine Shim, PhD

Assistant Professor
Division of Research
Department of Otolaryngology & Communication Sciences

Dr. Shim is interested in how the three-dimensional structure of the inner ear is formed during embryonic development and how the sensory regions of the inner ear epithelium are patterned.

Dr. Shim takes a molecular and genetic approach to understanding inner ear development in the mouse, and current work is focused on understanding the role of the Sprouty family of receptor tyrosine kinase antagonists in inner ear development and function. In particular, Dr. Shim found that Sprouty2 mutant mice are born with severe hearing impairment associated with a postnatal cell fate transformation of a Deiters’ cell into a pillar cell, resulting in the formation of an ectopic space (tunnel of Corti) within the auditory sensory epithelium.

It is her hope that these studies will uncover mechanisms by which congenital hearing and balance disorders arise, and provide clues to their treatment.

Education/Training

• Bachelor of Science (BS) in Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 1993

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Biochemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 2001

• Postdoctoral Scholar, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 2007

Society Memberships

• Association for Research in Otolaryngology

Research Interests

• Specification and morphogenesis of the inner ear epithelium

• Patterning of the auditory sensory epithelium

As of July 1, 2008, Sharon Parmet will become the Foundation’s Executive Director. Parmet came aboard the AHRF in July 2006 as Associate Communications and Development Associate. Since then, she has helped modernize the office, redesigned the newsletter, Soundings, and created a twice-monthly newsletter, Soundwaves. She has also helped to significantly develop the website.

For 38 years, Bill Lederer has served as the Executive Director of The American Hearing Research Foundation.  What started out as a foundation totaling $30,000 in assets has since grown to nearly $6 million. He notes that this would not have been possible without the ongoing support and dedication of all those affiliated with the foundation over the years.

The biggest accomplishments seen during his 38 years are the combined efforts with the board to raise funds for the foundation.  He also references the importance of the research programs growth from city to state to regional and nationally based. The research conducted throughout the years is known worldwide and has influenced the ongoing opportunities for future studies in hearing related issues.

He is very thankful to all those he was come to know over the years and looks forward spending his upcoming days with playwriting, poetry, and setting up writing programs for prisoners in correctional facilities. Bill also looks forward to spending time amongst his family: His wife, Noel, their 7 children and 17 grandchildren. They also plan on taking a trip to National Glacier Park this August and planning other future travels in the meantime.

We wish Bill well on his future endeavors and thank him for the hard work and dedication he has done at AHRF.

Hugh Barber, M.D. Obituary

Hugh Barber, M.D., a giant in the field of neurotology, passed away on December 14, 2006.

Born in 1923, Dr. Barber graduated from the University of Toronto in 1945. He then went on to complete his fellowship training in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery in Toronto. In 1968 he became a member of the Active Staff at Sunnybrook. The next year he was appointed Chief of the Department of Otolaryngology, a position he held for some 17 years. Dr. Barber was a member of the American Neurotology since 1976.

Dr. Barber had an international reputation as an authority in neurotology. Many of the residents and fellows who trained with him now lead numerous departments of otolaryngology world-wide. In 1970 Dr. Barber was promoted to Professor and in his retirement was bestowed the special honor of Professor Emeritus by the Faculty of Medicine.

Benefit Show to Raise Awareness of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss at the Empty Bottle Sunday, November 18, 2007

On Sunday, November 18, 2007, the American Hearing Research Foundation (AHRF) held a benefit concert at the Empty Bottle to help raise awareness of noise-induced hearing loss. Proceeds from the show will help the AHRF fund research into hearing loss at universities and hospitals throughout the United States and Canada, which the Chicago-based foundation has been doing for more than 30 years with over 165 research projects under its belt.

Noise-induced hearing loss is the number one preventable form of hearing loss, and can cause permanent hearing impairment as a result of prolonged exposure to high noise levels. Musicians especially suffer from noise-induced hearing loss due to the nature of their profession.

One of the simplest things a musician can do to help protect his or her hearing is to wear ear plugs. Ear plugs by Earlove were given out free of charge.

More than 100 people attended the event, which was hosted by Eric Chial, of the band The Bon Mots. The event raised close to $100 in net profits that went to the American Hearing Research Foundation.

"We are so inspired by the great turnout for this event," says Sharon Parmet, Associate Executive Director of the AHRF and one of the event organizers. "We’re definitely planning similar events in the future to spread the word among musicians and their fans that noise can and will damage your hearing over time, but that by protecting your hearing with earplugs, you can preserve it for a long time to come."

The event was sponsored in part by The Ear Institute of Chicago, LLC. Shure microphone manufacturing company will be providing some items for raffle as well.

The three bands that played the show included Le Concorde, which used the event to debut its new CD “Suite." The Its, and The Handcuffs also played.

About Le Concorde:
Having witnessed many friends in the music world suffer from permanent hearing loss, Le Concorde was eager to help AHRF coordinate the event and raise awareness by enlisting friends, The Its and The Handcuffs. On Le Concorde’s new release Suite, (Le Grand Magistery / Fourchette) singer/multi-instrumentalist, Stephen Becker joins forces with his childhood musical hero, David Gamson (Scritti Politti, Miles Davis, Chaka Khan) and veteran 80s mix-maestro, John “Tokes” Potoker. Recorded in Paris, Los Angeles, and Chicago, Suite follows Le Concorde’s critically acclaimed Universe and Villa (March Records), which was voted an album of the year in 2005 by XM Radio and New York’s the Village Voice. The new release builds upon Le Concorde’s trademark sound: ambitious, indie-pop arrangements fueled by hopeful, astute lyrics, spatial textures; dream-like harmonies, and complex syncopations and melodic counterpoint.

The Handcuffs and Hearing Loss:
Brad Elvis Steakley, of The Handcuffs, is one of the most well-respected drummers in Chicago and the music industry at large, and, not surprisingly, suffers from hearing loss. His first band, the Screams were on MCA and toured with Van Halen longer than any other support act on the Van Halen II tour in the late 70s. In the 80s, his new-wave, rockabilly band, The Elvis Brothers, rose to fame with worldwide tour dates, appearances on MTV, and multiple albums—one produced by Adrian Belew. Brad’s hearing loss isn’t just from being a drummer, it comes from a lifetime of exposure to loud music as a career musician. He has been wearing earplugs for several years, and is a strong advocate for getting younger musicians to start wearing them sooner to prevent hearing from fading.

The Handcuffs’ latest release “Model For A Revolution” has rapidly gained notoriety outside Chicago with airplay on KROQ (Rodney on the Roq) and songs featured in the television shows Laguna Beach and Grays Anatomy.

About The Its:
One of Chicago’s hottest new bands, The Its, released their second album Mistakes! this summer. The Its parallel Le Concorde in their skillful efforts to create a new sound by merging 80s new-wave influences with 90s indie-sensibilities. The band is rapidly gaining a local following for their remarkable live performances and stylish musical élan.

Noise-Induced Hearing Loss Facts

• Noise-induced hearing loss is cumulative, permanent and preventable.
• Twenty-five percent of the work force in the United States is regularly exposed to potentially damaging noise
• One in every ten (28 million) Americans has hearing loss. As baby boomers reach retirement age starting in 2010, this number is expected to rapidly climb and nearly double by the year 2030.
• The prevalence of hearing loss increases with age, up to 1 in 3 over age 65. Most hearing losses develop over a period of 25 to 30 years.
• Among seniors, hearing loss is the third most prevalent, but treatable disabling condition, behind arthritis and hypertension.
• While the vast majority of Americans (95%) with hearing loss could be successfully treated with hearing aids, only 22% (6.35 million individuals) currently use them. Only 5% of hearing loss in adults can be improved through medical or surgical treatment.

Warning Signs

• You can’t hear someone three feet away.
• You have pain in your ears after leaving a noisy area.
• You hear a ringing or buzzing (tinnitus) in your ears immediately after exposure to noise.
• You have difficulty understanding speech.

American Hearing Research Foundation Selects 5 Research Projects to Fund for 2008

On October 16, 2007, the American Hearing Research Foundation Research Committee selected five research projects to fund in 2008, for a total grant amount of $105,000.

“This year we received more research proposals than ever before,” says Sharon Parmet, Associate Director of the AHRF. Thirty-three proposals were received.

The five proposals selected for funding in 2008 are:

• “The Role of KCNQ4 Channels in Progressive Hearing Loss.” Liping Nie, Ph.D., University of California, Davis
• “Prevent and Treat Noise-Induced Hearing Loss by Drugs Blocking T-type Calcium Channels.” Jianxin Bao, Ph.D., Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri
• “Determination of Redox State in Hair Cell Mitochondria.” Richard Hallworth, Ph.D., Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska
• “The effects of Selective Hair Cell Damage on Temporal Envelope Coding in the Auditory Nerve.” Michael G. Heinz, Ph.D., Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
• “Characterization of a de novo Protein Expressed in the Mammalian Cochlea.” Jing Zheng, Ph.D., Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois

what if widgets gives back to the American Hearing Research Foundation

The American Hearing Research Foundation is pleased to announce that new product development company, what if widgets, will be donating 5 percent of its sales profits to the Foundation.

What if widgets was founded by Mike Simmons, a product designer living in San Francisco, who decided to strike out on his own and start his own company. Simmons developed earbud JACK, the flagship product of What If Widgets. Jack is a cool holder for your MP3 earbuds that keeps them neat, organized and wrapped up around JACK’s “arms.” JACK officially went on sale on October 18, 2007.

“JACK saved my life!” reported one customer.  “Before today, everything seemed in total disarray.  But now, with JACK, I feel like order has been restored, and I can move on.”  Most others were simply happy to avoid tangled cords.  Participating resellers were MacFriends, Amazon, and J&R in NYC.

Simmons decided to give back to the community when he founded what if widgets, and choose the American Hearing Research Foundation as one of the organizations he would donate to.

AHRF Elects New Board Member to Also Serve on The Research Committee

At the AHRF’s 2007 Annual Board Meeting, held on May 16, the Board of Directors elected David A. Klodd, Ph.D. to serve on the Board and also on the Research Committee.

AHRF Awards Wiley H. Harrison Grant to Adam Markaryan, Ph.D. of the University of Chicago

May 16, 2007   The American Hearing Research Foundation will give a Wiley H. Harrison, M.D. Grant to Adam Markaryan, Ph.D., of the University of Chicago to study the effect of mitochondrial deletions in the cochlea on hearing loss.

Dr. Markaryan is an assistant professor in the otolaryngology/head & neck surgery department.

He will use the grant, which gives a total of $25,000 over the course of one year, to study the degeneration of the cochlea with age, paying extra attention to the role that genetic mutations in the cell’s mitochondria play. He will study genetic deletions (mutations) in human cochlear tissues using DNA analysis.

The study will utilize cochlear tissues dissected from celloidin embedded temporal bones from more than 30 individuals with presbycusis and with normal hearing selected on strict audiometric criteria. These temporal bones have also been evaluated by quantitative morphometric methods.  A relationship between the amount and type of DNA deletions in the mitochondria and the severity of hearing loss will be investigated. This study may help to establish a threshold level for cochlear deletions in presbycusis (age related hearing loss) and identify the morphologic abnormalities associated with specific mitochondrial DNA deletions.

Dr. Markaryan received his bachelor’s degree from St. Petersburg Chemical/Pharmaceutical Institute in 1976, and earned his Ph.D. from Moscow State University in 1982 in biochemistry.
The Wiley H. Harrison, M.D. Grant is named after Wiley H. Harrison, M.D., who was the American Hearing Research Foundation’s President from 1998 to 2000, and Chairman of the Research Committee from 1978 to 2000.
The American Hearing Research Foundation gives a grant in honor of Dr. Harrison to support research in otology. Grant proposals are reviewed by CORE, with final say in the project selected remaining with the AHRF.

Call for Proposals for 2008 Eugene L. Derlacki, M.D. Research Grant

The American Hearing Research Foundation announces a call for proposals in the field of hearing research to be considered for the 2008 Eugene L. Derlacki, M.D. Grant.

This grant provides a maximum of $25,000 per year for two years. It is dedicated to hearing research and is intended for more significant research projects requiring funding that extend beyond the usual AHRF grant of $20,000.

This grant is named in honor of Eugene L. Derlacki, M.D., who dedicated more than 50 years to the field of otolaryngology and to helping the hearing impaired community. Dr. Derlacki co-founded the American Hearing Research Foundation
and served as President of its Board of Directors from 1977 to May of 2002.

Since the establishment of this grant in 2003, three awards have been made:

            “Cellular Repair of the Murine Cochlea After Acoustic Injury”,
              Keiko Hirose, M.D., Principal Investigator

            “Emotional Functioning of Children with Cochlear Implants”,
              Nathan A. Fox, Ph.D. Principal Investigator

“Role of JNK Signaling in the Death of Spiral Ganglion Neurons After                    
  Hair Cell Loss”, Steven H. Green, Ph.D., Principal Investigator

Researchers are invited to apply for this grant using the Research Grant Application Guidelines. Applications are due on August 1, 2007. These can be found on our website at www.american-hearing.org. According to the rules of the grant, the recipient will receive the first year funding in January, 2008. After the first year, a progress report must be submitted to the Research Committee. If the report is approved, the second year funding will be awarded in January, 2009. 

The Eugene L. Derlacki, M.D. Grant is awarded for excellence in the field of hearing research. This grant provides $25,000 per year for two years, for a total award of $50,000. It is dedicated to hearing research and is intended for more significant research projects requiring funding that extends beyond the normal AHRF grant of $20,000.

The grant is named in honor of Eugene L. Derlacki, M.D., who has dedicated more than 50 years to the field of otolaryngology and to helping the hearing-impaired community. Dr. Derlacki co-founded the American Hearing Research Foundation and served as President of its Board of Directors from 1977 to May of 2002 . He also co-founded AHRF’s two predecessor organizations: The Mid West Hearing Research Foundation, and the Mid American Hearing Research Foundation.

Dr. Derlacki has served the medical community through leadership roles in many organizations, including the Otosclerosis Study Group; the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology, Inc.; the American Academy of Otolaryngology, Inc.; and the American Otological Society. He has shared his knowledge through classroom teaching, conducting seminars, and publishing and producing numerous scientific papers and movies.

Researchers are invited to apply for this grant using the Research Grant Application Guidelines. According to the rules of the grant, the recipient will receive the first year funding of $25,000. After the first year, a progress report must be submitted to the Research Committee. If the report is approved, the second year funding of $25,000 will then be awarded.

Previous Eugene L. Derlacki, M.D. Grant Recipients

2005-2006 Steven H. Green, Ph.D., University of Iowa

“Role of JNK Signaling in the Death of Spiral Ganglion Neurons After Hair Cell Loss”
2004 Keiko Hirose, M.D., The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio
“Cellular Repair of the Murine Cochlea After Acoustic Injury”

Georgia Birtman Grant

 Grant application (pdf)

The American Hearing Research Foundation (AHRF), together with the Northwestern Memorial Foundation (NMF) give the Georgia Birtman Grant, named in honor of long-time supporter of the AHRF Georgia Birtman. Birtman, a school teacher with a hearing impairment, left the AHRF $2.1 million in 1991. The one-year $75,000 grant supports the advancement of research and education in otology and neurotology.

The grant is awarded to an exceptional researcher in audiology, otology or neurotology who will work in a lab at Northwestern University. The research topic involves some aspect of the diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of hearing and balance disorders related to the inner ear. The research has the potential to generate clinical care innovations, facilitate translational clinical studies, and develop creative educational programs.

Research proposals are reviewed by the AHRF and NMF.

Previous Birtman Grant Recipients

2007 - Timothy C. Hain, M.D., Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
“Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials (VEMP)”

2007 – Donna S. Whitlon, Ph.D., Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
“Role of Intracellular Signal Transduction Mechanisms on the Regeneration of Spiral Ganglion Neuronal Morphology In Vitro”

2006 – Claus-Peter Richter, M.D., Ph.D. Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
"Electrical Stimulation of Spiral Ganglion Cells"

2003/2004 – Alastair Lynn-Macrae, M.D., Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
"Signal Transduction Pathways and Gene Expression in Cholesteatoma"

A. W. Altorfer (1921-2006)

A.W. “Bill” Altorfer, 85 of Peoria, died on Thursday, November 16 at the Apostolic Christian Skyline.

Mr. Altorfer served on the American Hearing Research Board of Directors since 1971, and was on the National Advisory Board of Directors for several years.

He was in research and development at ABC Washing Machine Co. until 1953, when he and his brother founded United Facilities in East Peoria. He most recently served as Chairman.

He graduated from Peoria High and the University of Illinois at Champaign, where he was a member of the Delta Epsilon fraternity. He was a longtime member of the YMCA, and was also a charter member of the Willow Knolls Country Club. He enjoyed flying and entertaining with his cowboy band, Pals of the Saddle. He attended First United Methodist Church in Peoria.

Bill Altorfer was a loyal supporter of the American hearing Research Foundation for the past 40 years. His enthusiasm will be sorely missed.

George A. Sisson, Jr., MD, a member of the Board of Directors of the American Hearing Research Foundation from 1975 to 1982, passed away on Sunday, August 6, 2006. Dr. Sisson was Chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology and part of the medical staff at Northwestern University’s School of Medicine for more than 25 years until he retired in 1993.

His research has focused on cancer of the head and neck and surgery. He helped found the Yul Brynner Head and Neck Cancer Foundation as a result of an unplanned meeting of the actor Yul Brynner, who developed hoarseness before a performance of “The King and I” in Chicago. Mr. Brynner was referred to Dr. Sisson, who treated him, and the two became fast friends. Later, when Mr. Brynner developed tumors in his jaw due to tobacco use, he decided to launch the Yul Brynner Foundation with Dr. Sisson.

Dr. Sisson received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Syracuse University, and his post-graduate training at the Bellevue Medical Center and the Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital.