The Daily Populous

The University of Sheffield announces approval of the first human trial testing regenerative cell therapy to treat sensorineural hearing loss, offering hope for restoring hearing function.

Researchers at the University of Sheffield are set to begin the first-ever human trial exploring regenerative cell therapy as a treatment for sensorineural hearing loss.

Rinri Therapeutics, a leading University of Sheffield spin-out company dedicated to transforming the treatment of sensorineural hearing loss with a regenerative cell therapy, has received approval from the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to begin its first-in-human clinical trial.

Sensorineural hearing loss happens when the sensitive, hair-like cells within the cochlea or the hearing nerve become damaged.

The clinical trial will take place at three leading hearing research centres in the UK and will operate as a randomised, open-label trial.

The trial will involve 20 patients undergoing cochlear implantation for hearing loss, with ten patients having postsynaptic auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD) and ten having severe-to-profound age-related hearing loss (presbycusis).

Simon Chandler, CEO of Rinri Therapeutics, said: “Approval to start our first clinical trial with Rincell-1 in hearing loss is a major milestone and recognition of the potential of our regenerative cell therapy in this area of significant unmet medical need. »