Today (9th January 2020), the charity Action on Hearing Loss and Medicines Discovery Catapult announce the launch of the Hearing Medicines Discovery Syndicate, a unique collaboration to accelerate the much-needed development of treatments for hearing loss and tinnitus.
Hearing loss affects almost half a billion people globally, with almost 12 million people in the UK impacted. Despite the vast number of people affected, there are no registered pharmaceutical treatments for hearing loss or tinnitus. Recent scientific developments in the understanding of the biology underlying hearing loss are beginning to address this issue. The opportunity to advance treatments for patients is now accelerating as never before.
The Hearing Medicines Discovery Syndicate will connect researchers and companies to the vital expertise and infrastructure needed to fast-track the development of hearing therapeutics. For companies new to the field, or academic groups with limited experience of drug discovery and clinical development, the Syndicate brings together the relevant expertise to allow them to rapidly connect with the specific support they need to drive the development of new hearing therapeutics.
The Syndicate will work in partnership with the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) through its Biomedical Research Centres (BRC) with leading academic expertise in hearing research from University College London Hospitals BRC, Nottingham BRC and Manchester BRC, and the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult.
Dr Ralph Holme, Executive Director of Research at Action on Hearing Loss, says:
“People with hearing loss tell us that being able to hear well would transform their lives. Our initiative will help bring life-changing treatments to people with hearing loss and tinnitus faster.”
Dr Alessandra Gaeta, Syndicates Programme Director at Medicines Discovery Catapult, says:
“The Hearing Medicines Discovery Syndicate brings together partners that provide unique knowledge, expertise and specialised networks to accelerate research in hearing therapeutics. We are motivated to support innovators through their journey of bringing new therapeutics to the clinic in this area of unmet need. We encourage all those interested to get in touch.”
To connect with the Hearing Medicines Discovery Syndicate, or to find out more, visit the website.
