Improving hearing recovery after damage to tiny nerve connections in the ear
Official title: Maximizing Hearing Recovery from Peri-Synaptic Damage
Funded at VA Loma Linda Healthcare System · NIH-11280832 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project seeks treatments to help people regain hearing after damage to the tiny nerve connections in the inner ear caused by certain antibiotics, chemotherapy drugs, or loud noise.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | VA Loma Linda Healthcare System NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Loma Linda, United States) |
| Project start | February 1, 2020 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01RX002813-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-11280832 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who have experienced hearing difficulties after treatment with aminoglycoside antibiotics or cisplatin, or after significant loud-noise exposure, would be the most relevant candidates for future human trials.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with long-standing, profound hearing loss from complete hair-cell loss or other irreversible inner-ear damage are unlikely to benefit from synapse-focused interventions.
What this research studies
Researchers are using mouse models to study how certain antibiotics and chemotherapy drugs damage the synapses (tiny connections) between sensory hair cells and auditory nerve cells. They compare that drug-induced synapse damage to noise-related synaptopathy to find shared and different cellular and molecular causes. The team will map the dosing conditions that cause synapse loss without killing hair cells, identify time windows when intervention can help, and test candidate protective or restorative agents. Findings are intended to point to treatment strategies that maximize hearing recovery after ototoxic or noise insults.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to treatments that protect or restore the nerve connections that support hearing, reducing lasting hearing loss from drugs or loud noise.
How similar studies have gone: Previous animal studies have shown promise for protecting or restoring cochlear synapses after noise or drug damage, but translating those findings into proven human treatments has been limited so far.
Where this research is happening
-
VA Loma Linda Healthcare System
Loma Linda, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Li, Hongzhe — VA Loma Linda Healthcare System
- Study coordinator: Li, Hongzhe
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.