Professor Rob Shepherd, director of the institute, said, “Results have important implications for strategies to improve the treatment of hearing loss with a combination of a cochlear implant and NTCell”.
A cochlear implant is an electronic device often called a ‘bionic ear’ that is surgically placed into the inner ear (cochlea) of a profoundly deaf person to directly stimulate the remaining auditory nerve.
In the deaf inner ear the auditory nerve cells undergo continuous degeneration. This loss of nerve cells may be prevented by neurotrophins which are growth and support factors for brain and nerve cells.
The BEI research showed that neurotrophin-producing NTCell, together with intracochlear electrical stimulation, protects auditory nerve cells from degeneration in an animal model of hearing loss.
LCT’s NTCell implants are porcine choroid plexus cells of the brain that are encapsulated in a gel and when implanted do not require the use of immunosuppressive drugs. NTCell produces many different brain reparative growth and support factors known as neurotrophins. In this study NTCell capsules were successfully implanted into the inner ear of deaf animals.
The scientific results from these studies have been patented. A presentation by Dr Andrew Wise, BEI scientist, titled “Protection of Spiral Ganglion Neurons with Neurotrophins and Chronic Electrical Stimulation” is scheduled for 9.15pm on July 16th, 2009 at the Conference on Implantable Auditory Prosthesis at Lake Tahoe CA, USA.
About Living Cell Technologies: www.lctglobal.com
Living Cell Technologies (LCT) is developing cell-based products to treat life threatening human diseases. The Company owns a biocertified pig herd that it uses as a source of cells for treating diabetes and neurological disorders. For patients with Type 1 diabetes, the Company transplants microencapsulated islet cells so that near-normal blood glucose levels may be achieved without the need for administration of insulin or at significantly reduced levels. The Company entered clinical trials for its diabetes product in 2007. For the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders, the company transplants microencapsulated choroid plexus cells that deliver beneficial proteins and neurotrophic factors to the brain. LCT’s technology enables healthy living cells to be injected into patients to replace or repair damaged tissue without requiring the use of immunosuppressive drugs to prevent rejection. LCT also offers medical-grade porcine-derived products for the repair and replacement of damaged tissues, as well as for research and other purposes.
About Bionic Ear Institute: www.bionicear.org
The Bionic Ear Institute is an independent, non-profit, medical research organisation affiliated with the University of Melbourne. Our aims are to give deaf children and adults the opportunity to participate as fully as possible in the hearing world and to find new ways to restore brain function through new technologies in Medical Bionics. Bionic Ear research began in the late 1960s at The University of Melbourne and this important relationship continues with many of our staff working holding adjunct appointments in the Department of Otolaryngology, University of Melbourne.
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