Bionic ear technology helps re-grow auditory nerves for first time ever

Researchers have for the first time used electrical pulses from a cochlear implant to deliver gene therapy thereby successfully regrowing auditory nerves.

The research, which has the support of Cochlear Limited through an Australian Research Council Linkage Project grant, has been five years in development.

The work centres on regenerating surviving nerves after age-related or environmental hearing loss, using existing cochlear technology.

The cochlear implants are "surprisingly efficient" at localised gene therapy in the animal model, when a few electric pulses are administered during the implant procedure.

Jim Patrick, Chief Scientist and Senior Vice-President, Cochlear Limited, said this research breakthrough is important because while we have had very good outcomes with our cochlear implants so far, if we can get the nerves to grow close to the electrodes and improve the connections between them, then we'll be able to have even better outcomes in the future.

The research has been published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.