Latest news with #hearingloss
CNN
a day ago
- Health
- CNN
A researcher with hearing loss got a grant to study restoring hearing. The Trump administration cancelled it because of DEI
Dr. Uri Manor feels like much of his early life was blessed by fate. Born with genetic hearing loss that enables him to hear only about 10% of what others might, Manor was diagnosed at age 2, when he happened to be living in Wichita, Kansas – the home of what he describes as 'one of the most advanced schools for children with hearing loss, maybe in the world.' 'It wasn't clear if I would ever learn language, if I would ever be able to speak clearly,' said Manor, now 45. 'So I was very lucky, really weirdly lucky, that we were living in Wichita, Kansas, at the time.' Working in Wichita with experts at the Institute of Logopedics, now called Heartspring, Manor learned to speak. That same sort of serendipity led Manor into an unexpected career studying hearing loss himself, first at the US National Institutes of Health and, now, leading his own lab at the University of California, San Diego, where his research into ways to restore hearing was supported by a major five-year NIH grant. But that's where Manor's luck ran out. His grant was terminated in May by the Trump administration as part of its policies targeting diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, initiatives; Manor's funding had been awarded through a program that aimed to promote workforce diversity, for which he qualified because he has hearing loss. Now, Manor's research is in limbo, like that of thousands of other scientists whose work is supported in large part by the federal government and who've been affected by grant terminations. And the halt comes as research into hearing loss, which affects as many as 15% of American adults and 1 in 400 children at birth, had recently shown signs of rapid advancement. It was intense curiosity about the world that led Manor into a career in science, where early on, fate seemed to strike again. As a researcher at the NIH and Johns Hopkins working toward his Ph.D., Manor hoped to find an adviser interested in how magnetic fields could influence cells – an obsession that stemmed from a fascination with animals' ability to navigate using magnetic fields of the Earth. 'I was describing that to a physicist PI [primary investigator] at the NIH, and he goes, 'Yeah, I can't support that project, but what you're describing sounds a lot like the hair cells of the inner ear. You should go talk to this PI, who studies hair cells,'' Manor recalled. Despite spending much of his time at the audiologist's office, he said, 'I'd never thought about the ear.' That PI, Dr. Bechara Kachar, showed him microscope images of hair cells in the inner ear, which enable us to hear, and Manor remembers being stunned. 'I fell in love with the hair cell, these mysterious cells in our ear, because the system was so amazing, how it all comes together and how it all works,' Manor said. 'I got goosebumps. I have hearing loss, and I never thought about studying it. But now I was in this room falling in love with this system. I was like, 'What if this is like my destiny? What if this is what I'm supposed to be doing?'' In 2023, Manor received his first R01 grant from the NIH, a major five-year award that would support his lab's work on ways to restore hearing. Again, serendipity had struck; the R01 grant process is intensely competitive, funding only a fraction of the applications the biomedical research agency gets. Young researchers are advised to apply to research funding programs where they may have a unique edge, to improve their odds, Manor said. There was one that seemed a perfect fit; he was encouraged by mentors to apply to a program at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders that aimed to promote workforce diversity. It was specifically designed to support early-stage researchers 'from diverse backgrounds, including those from underrepresented groups,' such as people with disabilities. Manor qualified because he has 'congenital severe-to-profound hearing loss,' he said. 'It felt right.' Even at the time, Manor said, he acknowledged the risk that government initiatives supporting DEI may not always be popular. His biggest concern, though, was that he might not be able to renew his grant through the same program after its five years were up. But his luck turned. In late May, he received notification from the NIH that, only two years in, his five-year grant had been canceled. The reason: The Trump administration was targeting programs promoting DEI. 'Research programs based primarily on artificial and non-scientific categories, including amorphous equity objectives, are antithetical to the scientific inquiry, do nothing to expand our knowledge of living systems, provide low returns on investment, and ultimately do not enhance health, lengthen life, or reduce illness,' the notice read. 'It is the policy of NIH not to prioritize such research programs.' No more funding would be awarded, it continued, and all future years on the grant had been removed. 'No one ever imagined that a grant could be canceled in the middle of an award period,' Manor said. 'It might be naïve and incorrect, but when you get a five-year grant from the NIH, that's a five-year contract, and you make plans based on five years. … That's really kind of rocked our world.' A spokesperson for the NIH told CNN: 'The study itself has value, however unfortunately it was funded under an ideologically driven DEI program under the Biden Administration. In the future, NIH will review, and fund research based on scientific merit rather than on DEI criteria.' Manor spent the next two weeks sleeping two to three hours a night, writing new grant proposals to try to replace the lost funds. But the termination meant his lab had to stop experiments, some of which had taken years to set up. Manor took that measure in an attempt to avoid having to lay off staff members – which he ultimately had to do as well. Hearing loss affects more than 30 million people in the US, with prevalence rising as people age. Recently, the field has taken leaps forward, with trials of gene therapies, which deliver working copies of genes to make up for mutated ones that cause deafness, helping children hear for the first time. 'We're at the threshold of a brave new world, so to speak,' said Dr. Charles Liberman, a senior scientist and former director of the Eaton-Peabody Laboratories at Mass Eye and Ear, one of the largest hearing research laboratories in the world. 'It's pretty incredible, the progress that's been made in the last 10 or 15 years, on understanding what goes wrong in the ear and having a pretty good handle on what kinds of approaches might work to cure sensorineural hearing loss.' Liberman anticipates breakthroughs in the next five to 10 years in slowing age-related hearing loss as well and, 'perhaps farther in the future, to actually reverse age-related hearing loss.' Liberman said Manor – with whom he's collaborated in the past – is contributing to the field's advancements. 'He has not been in the field for terribly long, but he's already made a big impression because of the incredible sort of computational approaches he takes to analyzing data from the inner ear,' he said. 'His grant got cut because it was a diversity initiative,' Liberman continued, 'but Uri's research is top quality, and I'm sure it would have been funded just on its own merit.' Manor's was one of thousands of NIH grants cut by the Trump administration, amounting to almost $3.8 billion in lost funding, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Others canceled under the banner of combating DEI ideology include those focused on HIV, where researchers reported receiving notification identical to Manor's. But recently, Manor's fortunes seemed to have changed again. A federal judge ruled in June that it was illegal for the Trump administration to cancel several hundred research grants in areas including racial health disparities and transgender health. Manor's is among the grants included, and he received notice that the funding should come through. Still, he said he worries about whether that decision will hold through future court challenges. And he, like so many other scientists affected by the administration's drastic cuts to research funding, warns about the effects on scientific progress. 'No matter what your political leanings are, you have a 1 in 400 chance of having a child with hearing loss,' he said. Anyone dealing with medical conditions 'will benefit from the amazing advances of science and our biomedical research force.' But he also emphasized the importance of recognizing that research like his is supported by taxpayers, some of whom 'are struggling to pay their own bills, who are struggling to pay their kids' doctors bills.' 'And some of their taxpayer dollars are coming to my lab,' he said. 'That's a huge responsibility and privilege, and we have to make sure we're doing good with it. For me, that's a really powerful motivating factor, and I would like to believe that we're doing it.'
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
A new injection could REVERSE hearing loss and allow thousands to ditch their hearing aids. This is everything you need to know about it
For some two million people in the UK, hearing aids are a vital lifeline, allowing them to stay in touch with the world around them. But they cannot restore hearing – the devices work by amplifying sounds – and despite modern, sleek designs, for many people there is still a stigma attached to wearing them.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The stars of the much-loved Wittering Whitehalls podcast on how a hearing check has changed their relationship
Michael and Hilary Whitehall have been married for 39 years and – as anyone who has listened to their podcast, The Wittering Whitehalls, knows – they love to disagree. As the parents of stand-up comedian Jack Whitehall, the former talent agent (Michael) and actor (Hilary) have found new later-in-life careers as podcasters, loved both for their amusing insights and for their gentle bickering. Which is probably why they didn't notice at first that Michael's hearing was causing some frustrations. 'I genuinely do think that our arguing has got worse in recent years,' admits Hilary. 'And yes, I would argue that some of it is perhaps to do with hearing loss, because it's quite a tricky subject to navigate.' Mishaps and misunderstandings It wasn't until Michael, 85, went to Specsavers for a hearing check that he was told that he had good hearing for his age but was struggling with consonant sounds. 'We have misunderstandings on an hourly basis,' laughs Hilary. 'Just now I said: 'I'm going to brush my hair' and Michael said: 'Do you have time to wash your hair?'. 'We live in a house which has got six flights of stairs, so there is a lot of shouting up and down the stairs. 'And then there's lots of me losing my temper and stomping up the stairs... because he hasn't caught what I said!' Michael complained actors were mumbling through every film... then he realised maybe it wasn't the standard of modern acting that was the problem. It was the same at the theatre. 'I'd say: 'The trouble with that actor is they don't train them any more, he just mumbles and mumbles'. 'But I'm not going to say that any more of course!' Finding what's needed Those small issues with hearing caused their fair share of amusing anecdotes, as well as a few everyday irritations. 'What really annoys Michael about me is that I come into a room and immediately turn the sound on the television down,' says Hilary. 'And then he comes in and immediately turns it up, so we're constantly battling with each other over the remote control. 'And of course there is an element (we've been married almost 40 years) of 'Is it selective hearing?',' laughs Hilary. 'Is my voice just a noise or is he actually not hearing me?' How a hearing check helped Neither could believe how easy the hearing check was, and they were immediately put at ease by the hearing expert. 'She was so reassuring, the whole thing was painless,' says Hilary. 'The hearing expert at Specsavers said, actually your [Michael's] hearing is pretty good for your age, a little bit of upper range hearing loss, but what you're missing is the consonants. 'You're hearing an approximation of what is being said and it's very interesting to have that pointed out to you by an expert, because that made me more understanding.' For Michael, the solution was as straightforward as the hearing check. He got two hearing devices, one for each ear. They were small and discreet and even matched to his hair colour. Now, Michael can simply pop them in and use them when he feels the need. 'The last time I saw what was then known as a hearing aid was with my grandfather. He had a whole apparatus with wires and a crackling box on the front, which he kept hitting all the time while saying, 'Michael, speak up!'. 'I imagined there had been an improvement, but hadn't realised it had improved quite to the extent it has – where you can hardly see them.' Hilary adds: 'At a wedding we went to recently nobody knew that he had them in; they are beautifully designed and very discreet.' Spreading the word The couple are now working with Specsavers to help encourage others to take action. Hilary explains: 'Michael always says that we're all happy to go and have a dental check, a sight check, but the one thing we don't do is have a hearing check, because there is a stigma about hearing loss. 'But I would say to anybody: go for a hearing check: they're very quick, very efficient and very accurate.' Couples say 'What?' more often than 'I love you' In romantic relationships, research for Specsavers found saying 'What?' is more common than 'I love you' for couples aged 55+*. Almost half (46 per cent) of Britons had bickered with a partner due to not hearing properly; 36 per cent said it happened weekly. And 15 per cent were misunderstood by their partner at least once a day. Hearing loss can impact how we experience and enjoy life, and our relationships with loved ones. It's what Michael and Hilary found, with small misunderstandings and irritations as a result of Michael's hearing loss. But Specsavers makes it easy to keep track of your hearing health, with free hearing checks in store, expert advice and a wide range of hearing devices to suit individual needs and lifestyles. How to book your check Simply book online at and choose your local store, or call them direct. Your hearing expert will ask some easy health-related questions, use a small camera to examine the health of your ear and will then play sounds at different pitches through headphones to check your hearing. Based on your results, the Specsavers hearing experts can then make recommendations and they'll help you find the best solution for you. Symptoms to look out for Changes to hearing can happen gradually, so hearing experts recommend booking a check if you're struggling to listen to conversations or the television, if speaking on the phone is difficult, or if you feel like you have to ask people to repeat conversations in groups can be challenging, and concentrating on listening can leave you feeling stressed or tired. There is no need to be embarrassed. Earlier intervention can actually mean you have a better chance of managing and improving your hearing. And with today's hearing devices connected to phones and even linked to appliances at home, they can be easier and more discreet to manage than ever before.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Why sudden hearing loss could be a medical emergency that leaves you deaf: The little-known condition affecting 15,000 a year in Britain that can be treated - but which GPs may mistake for excess earwax
When 47-year-old Caroline Norman woke up to the room spinning, a continuous ringing sound and deafness in her left ear, she knew something was wrong. Yet she tried to carry on as normal. She recalls having to hold on to the fridge to stay upright while making her son breakfast, before staggering to the sofa.
SBS Australia
4 days ago
- Health
- SBS Australia
Australian early intervention program for deaf children piloted in Japan
Baby Rafael is hearing for the first time, with a cochlear implant unlocking a new world of sound. The small electronic device - which is surgically implanted - helps deaf people perceive sound. Rafael's mother, Renata Reis, says her son was six months old when he was fitted with the technology. "That's where the magic happens. There's the beautiful day that we were waiting for this first six months of his life where he could hear us for the first time. That was unbelievable. We were waiting, so excited for this day." Rafael, now 13, was diagnosed with profound hearing loss soon after birth. And so too, were his younger brothers, 10-year-old Gabriel and six-year-old Luca. The Sydney-based siblings all had the device implanted around the age of six months but it was just the beginning of their journey towards hearing and speaking. While a cochlear implant can be life-changing, the technology alone is not enough, says Dr Aleisha Davis, CEO of the Shepherd Centre, a not-for-profit that helps children with hearing loss learn to listen and speak. "There's such a misconception that hearing aids or cochlear implants help a child hear, but they don't. They provide access and the technology helps them hear sound, but brains aren't wired to understand sound at such early ages. So we provide the therapy that enables the children to understand what those signals are and to learn to use them in their everyday environments." The brothers also took part in the Shepherd Centre's early intervention program. The children are now thriving, says their mother Renata, who migrated to Australia from Brazil 17 years ago. Music is a big part of the family's cultural identity and the two eldest boys are members of their school band. "The program here was essential for them to thrive. You come here for maybe a day in the week, but it's all about the work that you put in every single day, exposing them to language, to sounds and music. They're doing quite well at school. They are very social little people." It was a decade ago that prominent Japanese hearing health specialist Doctor Akira Takagi first learnt about the work at the Shepherd Centre. He says in Japan, children diagnosed with hearing loss who wish to receive a cochlear implant don't typically have the surgery until the age of one or two. In Australia, it's around six months. "The sooner the surgery the better the outcomes." And Doctor Takagi adds there's a lack of services in Japan to teach children how to use the devices. He says he was 'amazed' by the program offered by the Shepherd Centre. "This is the system I am trying to create in Japan in collaboration with the Shepherd centre." This month that became a reality with the launch of an early intervention pilot program. Aleisha Davis says the partnership has been a decade in the making. "I am thrilled that it's happening and that we can help many more children than those locally here in Australia. It really will change the way that children grow up learning to listen with cochlear implants in Japan." Not all children born with hearing impairment use a cochlear implant. Some families opt for Auslan, while others are bilingual using both sign-language and spoken language. Shirley Liu, the CEO of Deaf Australia - the main association representing deaf people in Australia - says there is a diversity of experiences. Speaking to SBS in Auslan, which we've translated to spoken language, she emphasises the need for access to sign language from birth. "It's not an either/or, black or white, system that you can either have access to sound or access to Auslan and they can be used in conjunction with each other. Our position is that Auslan is essential and it's a valuable and vital language for deaf children to have access to." Around 90 per cent of deaf children are born to hearing parents. This means many families are initially unfamiliar with deafness. That was the case for Liz Speilman, whose two-and-half-year-old son, Louis was diagnosed with hearing loss shortly after birth. "We didn't know anything about hearing loss. We don't have anyone that's deaf in our family. So it was a new world to us as well." Louis, who has been fitted with a cochlear implant, has been taking part in therapy sessions at Shepherd Centre every week for the past two years. "It's incredible. I'm still blown away. At his two-year speech assessment, he was categorised as in the advance section for kids of his age. So that's not just deaf kids, it's kids with typical hearing as well. So he's not just doing well, he's flying."
