In this project, Xinyu Zhou in Dr Torsten Marquardt’s lab at University College London explores how sound can induce a fluid flow inside the inner ear, to develop better way to deliver treatments to the target cells deep inside the inner ear.
Project start date: October 2021
Project end date: September 2024
Read about the project outcomes here.
About the project
Researchers around the world are trying to develop treatments that can repair or re-grow the sound-sensing cells of the inner ear (called hair cells), as they are essential to hearing. However, it is difficult to transport potential treatments to the hair cells inside the cochlea where they are needed.
This research project will pioneer two new methods for transporting drugs to the target hair cells. These methods take advantage of the fact that sound can induce a fluid flow inside the inner ear. The aim is to better understand how each method works and to measure their effectiveness.
How it works
Xinyu will use both computational and experimental approaches to test the effectiveness of these two new methods. Xinyu will initially use computational modelling techniques to simulate the streaming of fluid inside the inner ear, to understand how the new methods may work to transport drugs along the length of the cochlea.
Following the modelling work, Xinyu will then carry out drug-delivery experiments in guinea pigs to validate the computer models. Xinyu will inject a drug that blocks hearing into the accessible end of the cochlea and monitor the speed at which the drug moves along it by recording neural activity in the brain.
By comparing the experimental results and the simulated predictions, Xinyu can test the accuracy of his computer simulations.
How will this research benefit people with hearing loss?
This research could lead to new ways to effectively deliver drugs or other types of treatment to their target location in the inner ear. This is currently still a big challenge in the development of inner ear therapies, including those that may benefit patients with tinnitus.
What we’ve learned so far
This project made important progress towards solving one of the biggest challenges in hearing research: how to get drugs to the parts of the inner ear where they are needed. Xinyu was able, for the first time, to show how sound drives fluid flow inside a 3-dimensional cochlear model.
Alongside this modelling work, the project improved experimental techniques to test drug movement in animal models, establishing practical methods that can be used in future studies.
About the researchers
Xinyu Zhou is a PhD student in Dr Torsten Marquardt’s lab at University College London.
My research aims to simulate sound-induced streaming of fluid inside a 3-dimensional cochlea model. This will help to improve methods to ensure that inner-ear treatments reach all parts of the inner ear, increasing their effectiveness. I hope that my research will ultimately lead to a new and effective inner ear drug delivery method.”
Dr Torsten Marquardt is Associate Professor in Auditory Biophysics at University College London Ear Institute.
I am immensely grateful to RNID for my Discovery Research Grant to support the development of new diagnostic tests that will help to evaluate the suitability of new treatments for individual patients. RNID also funds one of my PhD students, who will develop technology that will distribute these treatments evenly throughout the cochlea. This is a current challenge for drug delivery into the cochlea. RNID’s PhD studentships ensure that the UK remains a strong contributor to global hearing research.”
