Charity funding for new treatments to silence tinnitus
To mark Tinnitus Awareness Week (2 – 8 February), UK charity Action on Hearing Loss (formerly RNID) has announced a major investment to fund a new study which aims to accelerate the development of future tinnitus treatments.
Six million people in the UK are affected by tinnitus every day – ranging from a light buzzing to a constant roar in the ears and head – which can have a detrimental effect on quality of life including bouts of anxiety, difficulties socialising and problems sleeping or being able to concentrate at work.
The three year project will involve researchers from the Universities of Leicester and Newcastle and the biotechnology company Autifony Therapeutics Ltd, who are currently conducting a clinical trial of a drug for tinnitus.
Dr Martine Hamann (pictured), Lecturer in Neurosciences at the Department of Cell Physiology and Pharmacology, said: “At the University Leicester, we will be performing tinnitus screening using reliable paradigms and novel therapeutic treatments will then be tested at University of Newcastle."
Action on Hearing Loss runs the world’s largest donor-supported hearing research programme, dedicated to funding research into better treatments and cures for hearing loss and tinnitus.