Introduction
To date, Deafness Research UK, which is supported entirely by voluntary contributions, has awarded over £9 million in research grants. This section provides a brief introduction to some of our current research projects.
Developing tinnitus relieving sounds for cochlear implant users
Deafness Research UK has awarded a PhD Studentship to be supervised by Drs Bob Carlyon and David Baguley at Cambridge University. It aims to develop tinnitus relieving sounds for cochlear implant users.
Connexin 26 mutations, hearing loss and infection rates
Dr Amanda Hall at the University of Bristol is currently conducting a study with colleagues at the Institute of Child Health in London and at the University of Southampton, to look at the effect of a common genetic mutation in the Connexin 26 gene on hearing.
Age-related hearing loss in twins
Dr Claire Steves and colleagues at the Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology at King's College London are conducting a pilot study of older female twins to find out whether it's possible to unpick the relationship between age-related hearing loss, genetics and the environment.
The genes that cause age-related hearing loss
Deafness Research UK scientists working at the UCL Ear Institute are trying to identify genes that cause age-related deafness.
A computer model of hearing loss
Deafness Research UK has awarded a grant to Professor Ray Meddis at the University of Essex to explore the potential of computer models of hearing for helping us to understand different kinds of hearing impairment.
Discovering how Sprouty shapes the inner ear
Deafness Research UK has awarded a new grant to Dr M Albert Basson and Dr Yuichiro Yaguchi of the Department of Crainiofacial Development at King's College London, to study how a gene called Sprouty2 affects the inner ear and deafness.
Investigating tumours that cause deafness
Researchers at the Peninsula Medical School have received a grant of over £39,000 from Deafness Research UK, to investigate the role of brain tumours causing deafness in children and adults, and the development of therapies using in vitro models.
Filling a gap in our knowledge of hearing
Approximately one in 1,000 babies are born with some degree of deafness, making this the most common sensory deficit in humans. Around half of these cases have a genetic cause and more than 100 mutations have so far been identified in the genes that are responsible for normal function of a critical part of the auditory system, the cochlea. Deafness Research UK is funding a new pilot study to better understand the genetics behind this type of hearing loss.
Protecting hearing from environmental stress
Dr Sally Dawson and Dr Jonathan Gale at the UCL Ear Institute have been awarded a Deafness Research UK grant to continue their investigation into the response of sensory cells in the cochlea to environmental stress.
Investigating the process of hearing
The 2nd Deafness Research UK UCL Ear Institute Fellowship was awarded to Dr Joerg Albert, who joined the Institute from the University of Cologne.
Investigating gap junction formation in the cochlea
The 2nd Deafness Research UK UCLEI Postgraduate Studentship was awarded to John Kelly, who is working with Dr Daniel Jagger at the UCL Ear Institute in London.
Improving our understanding of the way the cochlea processes sounds
Deafness Research UK is helping to support a four-year study conducted by Dr Nigel Cooper at Keele University in conjunction with scientists from Harvard University in the USA.
Ion channel function in the central auditory pathway
A Deafness Research UK studentship has been awarded to Professor Ian Forsythe at Leicester University to investigate the role of ion channels in the central auditory pathway.
