Reversing Hearing Loss Naturally: Exploring Potential Solutions
Living with hearing loss can be isolating and frustrating, affecting daily activities and social interactions.
Often regarded as a quasi-inevitable consequence of getting older, hearing loss affects a wide range of people. In fact, approximately 15% of American adults (37.5 million) aged 18 and over report some trouble hearing.
Not only does hearing loss frustrate normal daily activities; it can impact social interactions and is linked with depression, impaired cognitive function, and an increased risk for dementia.
While complete reversal may not always be possible, advancements in regenerative medicine, combined with lifestyle adjustments and assistive technologies, offer hope for improving hearing health. This article explores potential avenues for addressing hearing loss naturally.
For Jeff Karp, PhD, principal faculty member of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, finding a solution to hearing loss and other medical conditions through stem-cell based regenerative medicine has been one of his lab’s goals for several years.
Stem Cell Research and Hearing Regeneration
In one of his major efforts, Karp is pioneering a small-molecule program designed to stimulate progenitor cells in the inner ear to grow the hair cells responsible for hearing.
Karp collaborates closely with MIT’s Robert Langer, ScD, on this research.
“We wanted to radically simplify the main mode of stem cell therapy, which has involved taking cells out of the body, manipulating them, and putting them back into the body,” Karp says.
His idea was to directly target stem cells and progenitor cells - cells that eventually become other types of cells - by delivering combinations of small molecules directly into the area affected.
“If we could get these combinations of molecules into the body at very targeted sites, we might be able to then manipulate and control the stem cells and progenitor cells to some degree and turn on regenerative processes.”
The concept grew from Karp’s research into the lining of the intestine, which regenerates every five to seven days. His team observed that stem cells of the intestinal lining carry a receptor called LGR5 on their surfaces.
After studying the microenvironment and important signals that encourage gut stem cells to divide, they homed in on specific pathways with small molecules to control the division of stem cells as well as maintain them.
With that information understood, the team looked for other biological systems with an abundance of LGR5 on their cell surfaces.
“One clear example was the progenitor cells in the inner ear,” recalls Karp. “We were excited about this because 90% of hearing loss has to do with the death of the hair cells.”
He immediately set to work to see if the molecules discovered in their studies of the intestine could promote the proliferation of inner ear progenitor cells, grow new hair cells, and essentially regenerate hearing.
While stem cells in the gut constantly divide, progenitors in the mammalian inner ear do not divide after birth.
“For some reason, in mammals like humans the brakes had just been put on,” said Karp.
In 2015, his team tested the molecules from the intestinal studies to see if they could proliferate and maintain the “stemness” on the inner ear LGR5 progenitor cells.
“I’ll never forget this,” Karp recalls. “When I saw the images I said, ‘I think we have a breakthrough here’ because of the beautiful images of these progenitor cells which had divided and formed new hair cells.”
Every experiment that the team conducted demonstrated that these cells appeared to have many distinguishing features of sensory hair cells.
Realizing their technology needed to get into patients quickly, Karp teamed up with Chris Loose, a former colleague from the Langer lab, and David Lucchino to co-found a commercial company called Frequency Therapeutics to take the approach to clinic.
The company’s lead drug candidate, FX-322, has now completed five clinical studies in a total of about 200 patients.
“It’s actually a combination of two drugs,” said Loose, Frequency’s chief scientific officer.
“Part of Jeff’s key breakthrough is you need to push on some of the key genes to activate these progenitors, but you also need something that can simultaneously act as an epigenetic agent to open targets.
This combination of opening targets and pushing on the right targets simultaneously enhanced the effect.”
Trial results to date reveal that improvements in hearing were seen predominantly in two types of hearing loss, including noise-induced or sudden onset sensorineural hearing loss.
“The trials show really striking improvements in speech perception - the ability to understand speech and recognize words - which is the number one thing that matters to a patient,” said Loose.
“That's what matters at home, school, and professionally.”
Improvements can be seen as quickly as 90 days after treatment with some individuals maintaining results for two years or more.
Frequency recently completed enrollment of a Phase 2b study of 142 patients at more than two dozen sites in the US, with data anticipated in Q1 of 2023.
“Part of the exciting aspects of regenerative science is that it is disease-modifying,” said Loose.
When a progenitor cell is activated, and makes a new hair cell, people can carry that cell for decades, potentially throughout their lifetime.
“And there are no genetic changes; the drugs just turn on the natural genes that were already active in the native cells.”
Frequency is now using a similar approach to develop a treatment for remyelination in multiple sclerosis (MS), where the immune system attacks the myelin in the brain and central nervous system which is essential for nerve function and survival.
Meanwhile, Karp continues to work on other regenerative medicine projects in his lab. Just within the last year he has initiated a program involving small molecules for eye diseases and vision.
“It’s highly exploratory right now but we are taking that process that we used in the intestine studying signaling pathways and seeing if we can find molecules that replicate and control the biology of stem cells and progenitor cells in the eye,” he said.
Assistive Technologies and Communication Strategies
While awaiting potential breakthroughs in regenerative medicine, various assistive technologies and communication strategies can significantly improve the quality of life for those with hearing loss.
- Hearing Aids: If you are over age 60 or experiencing symptoms of hearing loss, it's important to get your hearing tested to see if you need hearing aids. The national average cost of digital hearing aids is around $2,114, but it can range between $1,650 and $4,155 depending on where you live.
- Hearing Tests: The national average cost of a hearing test can vary between $18 and $85, depending upon a variety of factors.
Communication Tips
Effective communication is crucial for individuals with hearing loss. Here are some tips:
- Speak clearly and at a moderate pace.
- Face the person you are talking to, ensuring good lighting.
- Reduce background noise.
- Use visual cues and gestures.
The Role of Sign Language
Sign language offers a rich and expressive means of communication for individuals with significant hearing loss. Countries usually have their own form of sign language. In America, it is called American Sign Language (ASL).
Financial Assistance
The CareCredit credit card can help you pay for hearing care, including regular hearing tests, screenings and more.
Use our Acceptance Locator to find a hearing specialist near you that accepts CareCredit. In addition to hearing care, you can also use your CareCredit credit card for dentistry, cosmetic, pet care, vision, health systems, dermatology, pharmacy purchases, spa treatments and so much more within the CareCredit network.
About the Author
Amy Isler, M.S.N., R.N., has more than a decade of nursing expertise. She combines her nursing experience and journalism background to create engaging and educational healthcare content for leading brands and publications, including GoodRx, Verywell Health, Vision Center and more.
Disclaimer: The information, opinions and recommendations expressed in the article are for informational purposes only. Information has been obtained from sources generally believed to be reliable. However, because of the possibility of human or mechanical error by our sources, or any other, Synchrony and any of its affiliates, including CareCredit, (collectively, “Synchrony”) does not provide any warranty as to the accuracy, adequacy, or completeness of any information for its intended purpose or any results obtained from the use of such information. All statements and opinions in this article are the sole opinions of the author. The data presented in the article was current as of the time of writing.