Based in Missouri, Thomas “Tom” Brutnell leads Gateway Biotechnology, Inc., as Vice President, delivering hearing disorder-related biotech solutions that develops FDA-approved therapeutics, repurposing them for new indications. Thomas Brutnell’s company is at the leading edge of otolaryngology research, and is currently developing a drug product for tinnitus.

A paper published in JAMA Neurology in August 2022 examines the global incidence and prevalence of tinnitus. Until this study, no meta-analytic approach had been undertaken that examined this issue in the general population. The systematic review looked at prevalence data from 83 articles and incidence data from 12 articles written between 1972 and 2021.

Tinnitus prevalence increases with age. It is present in 10 percent of young adults, 14 percent of those in middle age, and nearly 25 percent of the elderly. The study also reveals a large number of cases of tinnitus worldwide, similar to cases of general pain and migraines. Approximately 740 million adults worldwide are affected by tinnitus, with a large percentage of these people above age 65. This, in the view of the researchers, justifies the expense of major hearing loss research projects on a worldwide scale moving forward.