Our research
Deafness Research UK has given more than £10 million to support medical research into deafness and related conditions.
Funded entirely by voluntary contributions, the results have been dramatic. Our research is providing real improvement in the treatments available to hearing-impaired people and is developing our understanding of many hearing problems.
With our support, researchers have developed sophisticated new digital processing systems that have been incorporated into hearing aids, genes linked to inherited deafness have been found and deaf babies can now be identified within hours of birth as a matter of course.
At Deafness Research UK, we recognise that research often requires long-term investment and we have always given high priority to basic research, to improve our understanding of how the inner ear works. Since most deaf adults have experienced inner ear damage, this research promises to benefit many millions of people and there are real grounds for optimism that it will ultimately deliver clinical benefits.
Yet there remains a long way to go. Although Deafness Research UK has been instrumental in the development of more effective treatments, conditions such as tinnitus still have no simple 'cure'. The deterioration of the ear which accompanies ageing still leaves more than half of all people over the age of 60 with a hearing impairment, and an increasing number of young people have their hearing permanently damaged through exposure to loud noise.
At Deafness Research UK, we believe that medical research can and will overcome all of these challenges – but only with your support.
Click on the links below to read about our research projects:
Preventing and finding cures for deafness
Helping deaf children and their families
