A recent study drawing a link between tinnitus and Covid-19 infections (https://doi.org/10.1080/14992027.2021.1896793) has highlighted the seriousness of this condition, that affects over 20 million Americans. Of these 20 million, there are approximately 2 to 3 million who suffer from severe and debilitating tinnitus. As the vice president of Gateway Biotechnology, a St. Louis, Missouri based company, Thomas Brutnell oversees the R&D pipeline for tinnitus and drug development. Through recent NIH funding, the team at Gateway Biotechnology has been testing the efficacy of plant natural products for the treatment of tinnitus in preclinical model systems.
Many who suffer from tinnitus also suffer from some degree of noise-induced hearing loss. While it is common that individuals are occasionally exposed to hazardous sounds at some point in their life, repeated noise exposures through work or recreation can lead to permanent hearing loss and hasten the onset of tinnitus. Through the development of novel model systems Gateway Biotechnology performed a systematic screen to identify potential drug candidates to prevent noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus. Once of these drugs is now the subject of an ongoing NIH project to conduct pre-clinical studies that will hopefully soon lead to clinical trials in humans.
In addition to the pre-clinical work on tinnitus, the company has also initiated a clinical trial in collaboration with Washington University in St. Louis to examine a leading drug candidate for the prevention of noise-induced hearing loss. As there are currently no FDA approved drugs to prevent or treat noise-induced hearing loss or tinnitus, Gateway Biotechnology is working hard to bring the first drug to market that can help those with noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus.
Many who suffer from tinnitus also suffer from some degree of noise-induced hearing loss. While it is common that individuals are occasionally exposed to hazardous sounds at some point in their life, repeated noise exposures through work or recreation can lead to permanent hearing loss and hasten the onset of tinnitus. Through the development of novel model systems Gateway Biotechnology performed a systematic screen to identify potential drug candidates to prevent noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus. Once of these drugs is now the subject of an ongoing NIH project to conduct pre-clinical studies that will hopefully soon lead to clinical trials in humans.
In addition to the pre-clinical work on tinnitus, the company has also initiated a clinical trial in collaboration with Washington University in St. Louis to examine a leading drug candidate for the prevention of noise-induced hearing loss. As there are currently no FDA approved drugs to prevent or treat noise-induced hearing loss or tinnitus, Gateway Biotechnology is working hard to bring the first drug to market that can help those with noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus.
