FOX 4 Health: KU Med Research Could End Frustrating Ringing

Jun 7, 2009

Tinnitus research at KU Medical Center featured on WDAF FOX 4 Health News.

Some people live with sounds that never go away. For many, it's a ringing or whistling in the ear. But there is being done in the metro that could lead to relief.

"The brain tries to turn up the volume and as a result the patient hears the hearing nerves talking to each other," KU Med researcher Dr. Hinrich Staecker said.

It's called tinnitus and it doesn't just happen because of noise. Joe Lay, the Assistant Fire Chief in Independence, started having constant ringing after he fell while fighting a fire.

"I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, I was very angry, cranky all the time," Lay said.

Dr. Staecker is trying to find a way to stop the ringing by regenerating inner ear cells.

The KU researchers have put a gene into a virus.

"But it has been modified to be safe and we can inject that into the ear of the mouse and restore these cells," Dr. Staecker said.

The next step is to see whether it can reverse the brain changes in mice that are associated with tinnitus. If it does, human testing could follow in five years or so.

Dr. Staecker and his colleagues recently received more than a million dollars from the Department of Defense to continue their research. Tinnitus is a big problem for soldiers who are exposed to explosive sound.

Lay said the ringing in his ears is less noticeable now that he wears a hearing aid. But he longs for the day when there's treatment to stop it.

"Wow, it would be just a miracle for people," Lay said.

Researchers think it's possible. The research also holds the possibility of restoring balance and hearing in people with age-related hearing loss.