AUDIOCURE-PHARMA
A single application of the novel compound AC102 almost completely restores noise-induced hearing loss in preclinical models. This is the key finding of a recent publication in the prestigious scientific journal PNAS by the Berlin-based start-up AudioCure Pharma. Sudden hearing loss is often treated with anti-inflammatory corticosteroids without regulatory approval or reliable evidence of effectiveness. Therefore, new treatment options are urgently needed for this condition.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240327023592/en/
Inner hair cells in the inner ear (picture: Nemes Laszlo/Shutterstock.com)
Noise-induced hearing loss was used to evaluate the efficacy of AC102 in a preclinical model. A single middle ear application of AC102 after noise trauma restores hearing to near pre-trauma levels after 14 days. In contrast, treatment without the active compound resulted in a profound hearing loss. Further experiments show that AC102 targets the two suspected main causes of sudden hearing loss in the inner ear: It prevents the death of outer hair sensory cells and protects the connections between neurons and the auditory nerve. “It is fascinating how a single molecule has such diverse effects in the inner ear. In laboratory experiments, we see that AC102 protects neurons by increasing their energy production and reducing the production of free radicals. At the same time, it stimulates the regeneration of neurons and sensory cells enabling the reformation of lost connections,” explains Professor Hans Rommelspacher, CSO and founder of AudioCure Pharma.
Sudden hearing loss is a debilitating condition that can severely impair speech understanding and have a negative impact on a patient's life. Corticosteroids have been used to treat this condition for 50 years, despite lack of approval. Also, their effectiveness has been questioned. Recently, a large study (HODOKORT) showed that more than 60% of patients with sudden hearing loss did not fully recover after corticosteroid treatment. Dr. Reimar Schlingensiepen, CEO of AudioCure Pharma, explains, "The HODOKORT study highlights the treatment gap for sudden hearing loss. We are therefore very excited about the promising effects of AC102 in our preclinical models and hope that patients will also benefit from it." Following successful safety and tolerability testing, AC102 is currently being evaluated for efficacy in a pan-European Phase 2 clinical study in patients with sudden hearing loss.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240327023592/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
NIQ and Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) Collaborate to Measure Reach and Impact of Cross-Platform Ad Campaigns in Italy21.11.2025 09:00:00 CET | Press release
NIQ and Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) have announced a new collaboration to study the effectiveness of cross-platform advertising across linear TV and Amazon Ads inventory in Italy. Through the collaboration advertisers and agencies will gain actionable insights into the relative performance of ad placements across digital, linear TV and streaming environments, including how each contributes to incremental reach and influences product purchases on Amazon’s ecommerce platforms. The insights are made possible by using high-quality data from Sinottica®—a well-established single-source consumer panel in Italy owned by NIQ—with data from Amazon Marketing Cloud. Specifically, the research will leverage Sinottica’s linear TV data alongside several Amazon inventory sources, including Amazon DSP, Sponsored Ads (Products, Brands, Display), and Streaming TV (Prime Video, Twitch, Fire TV). This approach will enable a deeper understanding of how ad exposure across digital and TV channels translates
Ahead of Holiday Season, Visa Identifies Five Transformative Forces Reshaping Global Payment Security20.11.2025 19:50:00 CET | Press release
New Biannual Threats Report Reveals Fundamental Shift in Fraud Operations as Criminals Adopt Industrial-Scale Tactics To celebrate International Fraud Awareness Week, Visa (NYSE: V) today released its Fall 2025 Biannual Threats Report, revealing five forces that are transforming the global payments security landscape. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251120412198/en/ The report, produced by Visa's Payment Ecosystem Risk and Control (PERC) team, draws on intelligence from Visa's global network to identify how criminal operations are evolving with unprecedented speed, scale, and sophistication. "The payments ecosystem is experiencing a paradigm shift in how fraud operates," said Paul Fabara, Chief Risk and Client Services Officer at Visa. "Criminals are no longer working as opportunistic individuals-- they're operating like tech startups, building reusable infrastructure and deploying systematic, industrial-scale
Suzano Forms Partnership with Tencent and Ecofuturo Institute at COP30 for AI-Powered Conservation and Nature Education20.11.2025 18:25:00 CET | Press release
New agreement signed at COP30 will see organisations collaborating to use artificial intelligence tools for biodiversity monitoring and digital platforms to boost public engagement in conservation efforts. The world’s largest pulp supplier, Suzano, today announces the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the multinational technology business Tencent and the Brazilian non-profit Ecofuturo Institute, to pioneer new digital approaches to drive public engagement in conservation. The collaboration will leverage Suzano’s expertise in sustainable forestry, Tencent’s cutting-edge digital technology, and Ecofuturo’s expertise in environmental education, to pilot joint initiatives in both Brazil and China. These include enhancing ecological awareness, accelerating biodiversity solutions, and leveraging digital platforms to foster public engagement in conservation. The partnership will result in a pilot project where advanced AI tools for species recognition developed by Tencent’s
EMVCo Working on How Global Specifications Can Support Agentic Payments20.11.2025 17:38:00 CET | Press release
EMVCo – the technical body that creates and manages EMV® Specifications and programmes that enable seamless and secure card-based payments worldwide – has announced that it is working on how global specifications can support innovation in agentic payment solutions by increasing trust and interoperability across the ecosystem. Agentic commerce is rapidly reshaping the shopping experience by enabling AI agents to act on the consumer’s behalf. This is driving significant momentum for agentic payments, which introduce AI agents as new actors that can initiate transactions with merchants – without requiring direct involvement from the consumer. While agentic payments have the potential to increase convenience and personalisation, they present unique considerations for how transactions are initiated, authenticated and secured. As industry adoption and innovation accelerate, a globally interoperable and scalable approach may be beneficial in realising trusted agentic payments for consumers, m
Université Paris-Saclay and Owkin: A Unique Alliance to Propel University Medical Research to the Top of the European Rankings Through AI20.11.2025 15:17:00 CET | Press release
Université Paris-Saclay and Owkin announce the signing of a memorandum of understanding to explore the potential of K Pro Free - Owkin’s AI co-pilot for biology - for use by Paris-Saclay. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251120130113/en/ K Pro Free will now be available to the entire Université Paris-Saclay community, and in particular teachers, researchers and doctoral students working in the biomedical sciences. The partnership includes workshops, training sessions and events designed to promote the discovery and adoption of K Pro Free, as well as the co-organization of communication and dissemination initiatives around the use of AI in health. In this way, the partnership will promote user training, but also enrich and continuously improve the co-pilot's models through feedback and use cases from the l’Université Paris-Saclay community. This partnership is part of Université Paris-Saclay’s strategy to integr
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom