An implant placed on the auditory nerve to improve hearing
Development and Translation of an Intracranial Auditory Nerve Implant
A new implant that directly contacts the auditory nerve is being developed to help people with severe hearing loss hear speech and music more clearly, especially in noisy places.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Minnesota NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Minneapolis, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-10709454 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers are building an implant that sits on the auditory nerve between the cochlea and brainstem to deliver clearer sound signals. The team will design and manufacture a full device that meets safety and regulatory requirements, using encouraging animal data and established human surgical techniques to guide the work. Early phases will focus on safety testing and optimizing the electrode–nerve interface, with the goal of moving toward human use to see if speech and music perception improve. If those steps are successful, the project aims to prepare the device for clinical trials at specialized centers.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be people (including some children and adults) with severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss who get limited benefit from conventional cochlear implants.
Not a fit: People with mild hearing loss, primarily conductive hearing loss, central auditory processing disorders, or medical conditions that make intracranial surgery unsafe are unlikely to benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this implant could give much clearer speech and music perception than current cochlear implants, especially in noisy environments.
How similar studies have performed: Direct auditory nerve implants are largely novel, though related devices like auditory brainstem implants exist and animal studies of this specific approach have shown encouraging results.
Where this research is happening
Minneapolis, United States
- University of Minnesota — Minneapolis, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lim, Hubert Hyungil — University of Minnesota
- Study coordinator: Lim, Hubert Hyungil
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.