As the most common sensory disability worldwide and increasing incidence as the population ages, there is a strong patient and clinical demand for effective solutions to hearing loss. Around 90% of all hearing loss in humans is caused by the death or damage to the sensory cells in the cochlea – the auditory neurons and the hair cells. This is termed sensorineural hearing loss and is the therapeutics focus at Rinri Therapeutics.

Hair cells convert mechanical signals (eg sound) into electrical impulses, while auditory neurons process and send these signals to the brain. Both sensory cell types can be lost as part of normal ageing (presbycusis or age-related hearing loss) and are very easy to damage if exposed to loud noise or ototoxic chemicals that harm the ear. These cells cannot be repaired or naturally regenerated in humans.

Rincell-1 and -2 are focused on auditory neuron replacement

Published research¹ has shown that by 60 years of age, the average loss of auditory neurons is around 46% and while hair cell damage can be partially circumvented using hearing aids and cochlear implants, there are no reliable treatment options that target auditory neuron loss, making our cell replacement approach idea for the treatment of sensorineural hearing loss.

The first potential treatment in Rinri Therapeutics’ portfolio, Rincell-1, is being developed to regenerate auditory neurones and re-establish the transmission of nerve signals from the inner ear to the brain’s auditory centres. It can potentially improve hearing loss for millions of people who lack auditory neuron function because of age or conditions such as auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder.

Our second and third programs are both at the earlier feasibility stage – Rincell-2 is also targeting the replacement of auditory neurons using a different type of starting cell, while Rincell-3 is focused on auditory hair cell replacement.