Nanoengineered Drug Delivery Systems for the Treatment of Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Abstract

Inner ear disease is the leading cause of hearing impairment in developed countries. An estimated 466 million people suffer from hearing loss worldwide and this number is on the rise. Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is the most common form of hearing impairment and is characterised by the degeneration of key structures of the sensory pathway in the cochlea of the inner ear (the cochlea) such as the sensory hair cells, the primary auditory neurons and their synaptic connection to the hair cells. Current research focuses on developing techniques to administer growth proteins such as neurotrophins to repair or regenerate damaged auditory neurons, as well as preventing loss of primary auditory..