Why is there no cure for tinnitus?

[NicTinnitus]

Why is there no cure for tinnitus?

That's a question we hear a lot. Sometimes it's asked with a sense of curiosity - sometimes with a sense of desperation.

And it's a very valid question. Progress in dealing with many common illnesses seems to have rushed ahead, whereas tinnitus ... not so much. But is that true? And is that a fair reflection of the situation? What are the barriers being encountered in the search for a cure?

A paper called ‘Why is there no cure for tinnitus?’ has been published in the science journal Frontiers in Neuroscience. You can read a summary of it here: tinnitus.org.uk/why-is-ther...

And you can also read what our Chief Executive David Stockdale - one of the authors has to say here: tinnitus.org.uk/blog/mappin...

We'd be interested in hearing what you have to say on the topic, so do let us have your comments below!

Nic (BTA Communications Manager)

[Raoudha]

I read I don t remember where that tinnitus and lost of hearing is due to iodine deficiencies ????? Please googol it and learn more ... thank you for this group

[dsh2358]

Big Pharma don’t think it is worth the research and there is not a billion dollars in it 😡😡

[NicTinnitus in reply to dsh2358]

We are talking to pharma a lot. It's likely that smaller, more agile companies will be taking this on. There is interest, but they would like objective measures, biomarkers etc to be found first.

Nic

[Chilledartist in reply to NicTinnitus]

all respect but it shouldn't be about what they want, its about what we need

[ChooseYourUsername]

Thank you for informing us and great to see and learn about the research ☺

[LisV]

I have attended several BTA conferences with experts speaking, my own feeling is that although it sounds very physical, tinnitus is regarded more as a mental health issue and therefore doesn't receive the same kind of funding as killers like cancer and heart disease. I have had T for 11 years and for the last 2 or 3 years, after spending a lot of money at the Tinnitus Clinic, the hearing aids with sound generator they gave me were working well, but the T has now got louder, and can no longer be masked. I use a bedside sound generator so do get some sleep at night, but I'm back to square one and trying to 'manage' it during the day

[PJay11]

Hi Nic - I just read this paper. Very informative and appreciated. I don't see any mention of the potential around neuroinflammation as a possible area of focus for research into tinnitus treatment options. I did also read your post on being wary of "miracle pill" media claims surrounding the University of Arizona's paper on the topic, and I share your view, however it does sound like inflammation might be a future area of promise for treatments.

I understand there is a large follow up clinical trial being conducted by Wayne State University for the US Dept of Defense on etanercept's efficacy on tinnitus, and ebselen (through Auris Medical) has been given fast-track status by the FDA regarding tinnitus symptoms. Both are TNFa inhibitors, which will be tested as a biomarker in the clinical trial given reports of a correlation between TNFa levels and tinnitus severity. Given this, I also find it interesting that the TRI Conference later this month in Vancouver doesn't seem to show any agenda items looking at tinnitus research from a neuroinflammation point of view.

Curious on your (and the BTAs) thoughts on why this isn't being discussed more.

Many thanks,

PJay11

[NicTinnitus]

Conferences are dependent on researchers submitting proposals for talks, papers and posters. Sometimes, the conference organisers have a theme in mind (such as translational research, or genetic research), and sometimes it's more open. I think TRI is in the latter category

It may well be that people in the field are not yet ready to discuss their work more widely, or are waiting on results or journal publication (some journals insist on exclusivity).

I'm sure that if there is anything positive to come out of the neuroinflammation work, it will be widely discussed!

Nic