More than 48 million Americans have some degree of hearing loss, ranging from mild high-frequency loss to profound deafness. Current options include hearing aids, cochlear implants for severe cases, and assistive devices. Research is now focused on regenerating damaged inner ear cells and preserving hearing in people with progressive loss.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing gene therapies for inherited deafness, drugs to regenerate hair cells in the inner ear, and treatments to protect hearing during chemotherapy or after noise exposure. Researchers are also studying improved cochlear implant technologies and ways to preserve residual hearing in people with progressive loss.
Hair cell regeneration
Several drugs aim to regrow the sensory hair cells that detect sound and are permanently lost in most hearing loss. Early trials are testing whether small molecules can trigger this regrowth in the adult human ear.
Gene therapy
Trials are testing gene therapy for children born deaf due to specific genetic mutations like otoferlin deficiency. The approach delivers working copies of the gene directly into the inner ear.
Hearing protection drugs
Studies are testing whether drugs given alongside chemotherapy or after noise exposure can prevent hearing damage. This could help cancer patients and military personnel preserve their hearing.
What to know before you search
Eligibility depends on type and severity of hearing loss, age, cause (genetic, age-related, noise-induced), and for device trials, whether traditional hearing aids still provide benefit.
What types of trials are currently open
- Regeneration trials — Testing drugs that aim to regrow damaged hair cells in the inner ear, potentially restoring hearing rather than just amplifying sound.
- Gene therapy trials — Testing gene therapy for children with inherited deafness caused by specific genetic mutations.
- Protection trials — Testing drugs to prevent hearing loss during chemotherapy or after noise exposure.
- Device trials — Studies of new cochlear implant designs, hybrid devices that combine implants with hearing aids, and improved electrode arrays.
- Observational studies — Following people with hearing loss to understand progression patterns and identify who might benefit most from different interventions.
Recently added Hearing Loss trials
The Effect of Anatomy-based Fitting on the Perception of Speech in Noise and Music in Single-sided Deaf Cochlear Implant Users
The present study evaluates the effect of anatomy-based fitting on speech perception in noise and music perception in newly implanted single-sided deaf (SSD) CI recipients. Speech perception in noise will be assessed using different spatial configurations of speech and noise. Music perception will be evaluated using objective measurements for melody, harmony, timbre and pitch and using a subjective questionnaire, the Music and Cochlear implant questionnaire (MCIQ). Furthermore, localization and self-reported hearing benefit (HISQUI19, SSQ12) will be assessed.
Test a new cochlear implant fitting method for better hearing
The purpose of the study is to investigate the effect of an anatomy-based frequency distribution in comparison to a default frequency distribution in bimodal CI patients, i.e. wearing a cochlear implant and a contralateral hearing aid. Speech perception in quiet, speech perception in noise, consonant/vowel discrimination and pitch/timbre perception will be assessed in an acute set-up with both the default fitting map and the anatomy-based fitting map.
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