Research projects
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.
Finding targets for tinnitus treatment
Deafness Research UK has awarded a new grant to Dr Martine Hamann and Professor Ian Forsythe at the University of Leicester and the MRC Toxicology Unit who will investigate whether a molecule that is important for hearing is also involved in tinnitus.
Using stem cells to develop a cure for deafness
Deafness Research UK is funding a research programme that is the first to try to develop a cure for deafness using stem cells taken from umbilical cord blood or bone marrow.
Establishing the causes of sudden deafness
A Deafness Research UK grant to researchers at the Wythenshaw Hospital in Manchester has enabled a study aimed at establishing the causes of sudden deafness.
Finding a genetic cause of Ménière's Disease
A major grant from Deafness Research UK has enabled a research team led by Dr Mark Bailey at the University of Glasgow to investigate the genetics of Ménière's Disease.
Understanding auditory learning disabilities
Dr Jennifer Linden, a researcher at the UCL Ear Institute, received a grant from Deafness Research UK to study how neurons in the brain contribute to a specific variation in electrical activity recorded that can be recorded from the scalp.
Glue ear and bacteria
Deafness Research UK supported an investigation into the possibility that bacteria not only cause persistent or recurrent glue ear, but can also lead to the rare complications of glue ear, such as nerve damage, causing permanent deafness or damage to the tiny bones in the ear that transmit sound vibrations.
Diagnostic tests for children with auditory processing disorder
Funding from Deafness Research UK has enabled Dr Justin Cowan at the Institute of Child Health and Oxford University to carry out a study into the better diagnosis of auditory processing disorder (APD).
Improving the hearing of people with cochlear implants
A cochlear implant, or 'bionic ear', is an electronic device that directly stimulates the auditory nerve, which can help even profoundly deaf people gain a sense of sound. Deafness Research UK recently funded a project aimed at improving the speech understanding and musical perception for people with cochlear implants.
Improving facilities for people with cochlear implants
Deafness Research UK recently kitted-out sound booths at a newly-built addition to the 'South of England Cochlear Implant Centre', at the University of Southampton.
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.
Calcium channels in the inner hair cells
Deafness Research UK awarded a grant to Dr Walter Marcotti at the University of Sheffield to investigate the process of transforming sound into electrical signals to be interpreted by the brain.
Calcium signalling in outer hair cells
Deafness Research UK awarded an equipment grant to Dr Michael Evans at Keele University to shed light on the inner-workings of sensory hair cells inside the cochlea.
Hair cell production and regeneration
The Inaugural Deafness Research UK UCLEI Research Fellowship was awarded to Dr Nico Daudet at the UCL Ear Institute in London to investigate the role of the protein Notch in the inner ear.
Spatial listening with cochlear implants
A Deafness Research UK studentship was awarded to Rosemary Lovett to work with Professor Quentin Summerfield at the University of York.
The effect of noise on the neonatal unit and on neonatal transfer
Deafness Research UK is supporting a study led by Dr Lesley Jackson at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary to assess the risk to newborn babies of hearing loss after exposure to noise during neonatal care.
Understanding how the brain combines sound from two ears
Deafness Research UK is supporting an investigation by Dr Roberta Donato at the UCL Ear Institute in London into the way the brain combines sounds from the two ears to help create an auditory “image” of the world.
Unravelling the genetic basis of BOR syndrome
A Deafness Research UK PhD student, Bernardo Blanco, working with Dr Tanya Whitfield at the University of Sheffield, has spent three years studying the genetics of Branchio-Oto-Renal Syndrome (BOR), an important cause of inherited deafness.
A new deafness gene
A three year project grant was awarded to Professor Karen Steel at the Sanger Genome Institute to carry out a study looking for a new gene associated with deafness.
National Collaborative Usher Study
Deafness Research UK has helped to fund part of the National Collaborative Usher Study (NCUS), in conjunction with Sense and the British Retinitis Pigmentosa Society. The study was based in London at the Institute of Child Health (ICH), in Great Ormond Street Hospital and at the Institute of Ophthalmology, in Moorfields Eye Hospital.
Detecting hearing impairment in premature babies
A Deafness Research UK team at the University of Oxford, lead by Dr Zedong Jiang, studied hearing impairment in newborn babies caused by a lack of oxygen during labour and delivery.
Possible link between hearing disorder and dyslexia or learning disability
Deafness Research UK awarded a grant to researcher Dr Caroline Witton in the hope of improving treatment for children with auditory processing disorder (APD), thought to affect around 10 per cent of all UK children.
The optimum age for cochlear implantation in children
A study funded by Deafness Research UK, and carried out by Dr Margaret Tait at The Ear Foundation in Nottingham, investigated whether the age of implantation affects how children progress.
Can extending the length of cochlear implants improve speech understanding?
Deafness Research UK has awarded a project grant to Dr Kevin Munro and his colleagues at the University of Manchester to investigate the benefit to cochlear implant users of stimulating the part of the inner ear that responds to low sound frequencies.
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.
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.
Understanding how different accents affect speechreading
Deafness Research UK is supporting a project led by Dr Sharon Thomas at the MRC Institute of Hearing Research in Nottingham which aims to help deaf and hearing-impaired people to get the best out of speechreading as an aid to communication with others.
Understanding sound localisation
The Inaugural Deafness Research UK UCLEI Postgraduate Studentship was awarded to Jason Mikiel-Hunter to work with Professor David McAlpine at the UCL Ear Institute in London.
Positive support in the lives of deaf children
Over the past two years, almost all families living in England whose child is identified as having a hearing loss by newborn screening have been invited to take part in a major new study into the kind of early support that can lead to a better quality of life for deaf children and their families.
Helping deaf children with the ring of sound
Deafness Research UK PhD student Rosie Lovett is working with Professor Quentin Summerfield at the University of York to look at the potential benefits to young children of being fitted with two cochlear implants.
Testing the effect of caffeine on tinnitus symptoms
A new research grant has been awarded by Deafness Research UK to study the effect of caffeine on tinnitus symptoms.
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.
The mechanisms of age-related hearing loss
A Deafness Research UK study at Keele University is looking at the role of particular types of cells called 'fibrocytes' in age-related hearing loss.
Central auditory processing and learning
A Deafness Research UK PhD studentship has been awarded to Professor Andrew King at Oxford University to carry out research into the functional role of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in central auditory processing and learning.
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.
Comparing the benefits of bilateral and unilateral cochlear implants in children
A two-year project grant has been awarded to Dr Margaret Tait at the Ear Foundation in Nottingham to carry out a study comparing the pre-verbal communication skills of bilaterally implanted children (two cochlear implants) with age-matched unilaterally implanted children (one cochlear implant).
Extending the value of a large research study into glue ear
Research at the University of Cambridge, led by Professor Mark Haggard, is underway to ensure that children receive the most effective treatment for glue ear.
Improving hearing aid fitting in children
A study being carried out in Cambridge by Professor Brian Moore and colleagues is investigating the effectiveness of the current procedures in hearing aid fitting when applied to children.
Improving clinical tests for hearing aid fitting
A new Deafness Research UK project grant has been awarded to Professor Brian Moore of Cambridge University, to develop new tests of auditory performance that could be used in the clinic to greatly improve the selection and fitting of hearing aids.
Tackling 'dead' hearing regions
Deafness Research UK's adviser on hearing aids, Professor Brian Moore, is leading a three year project that aims to improve the fitting of hearing aids by developing more accurate ways of measuring hearing loss at different frequencies.
Developing a new test for APD
Deafness Research UK is urgently seeking funding to develop a new test for APD (Auditory Processing Disorder).
Helping deaf and hard of hearing people communicate in social situations
Dr David McAlpine, an expert in binaural processing, recently undertook Deafness Research UK funded research to examine why deaf and hard of hearing people find it hard to communicate in noisy environments.
