Hearing Loss

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

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.

The Impact

The WHO estimates that, currently, more than 5% of the world’s population (approximately 430 million people) has disabling hearing loss1 In the US, approximately 65 million people are affected by hearing loss; in Europe it is about 34 million2 Deafness and hearing loss (who.int) Deafness and hearing loss (who.int) Deafness and hearing loss (who.int) Deafness and hearing loss (who.int) There is no approved pharmacological treatment for sensorineural hearing loss despite causing 90% of hearing loss in adults3 Degeneration of the auditory neurons underpins age-related hearing loss as degeneration of auditory neurons cells has been shown to occur 2.6x faster than auditory hair cells4 Wu et al 2019 Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment (healthline.com) 5% of those with mild-moderate hearing loss have Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum disorder (ANSD), where auditory hair cells function but the neurons do not 5 We estimate some 2.3m people with presbycusis and 13.5m people with ANSD could benefit from our lead therapy Rincell-16 Stevens at al 2011 Kim et al 2023 By 2050 nearly 2.5bn people are projected to have some degree of hearing loss7 In 2018, less than 1% of the total public and charity investment in medical research was spent on hearing research. That adds up to just 83p spent for every person affected Deafness and hearing loss (who.int)

The Impact

Deafness and hearing loss (who.int) Deafness and hearing loss (who.int) The WHO estimates that, currently, more than 5% of the world’s population (approximately 430 million people) has disabling hearing loss1 In the US, approximately 65 million people are affected by hearing loss; in Europe it is about 34 million2 Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment (healthline.com) Wu et al 2019 There is no approved pharmacological treatment for sensorineural hearing loss despite causing 90% of hearing loss in adults3 Degeneration of the auditory neurons underpins age-related hearing loss as degeneration of auditory neurons cells has been shown to occur 2.6x faster than auditory hair cells4 Kim et al 2023 5% of those with mild-moderate hearing loss have Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum disorder (ANSD), where auditory hair cells function but the neurons do not5 We estimate some 2.3m people with presbycusis and 13.5m people with ANSD could benefit from our lead therapy Rincell-16 Stevens at al 2011 By 2050 nearly 2.5bn people are projected to have some degree of hearing loss7 In 2018, less than 1% of the total public and charity investment in medical research was spent on hearing research. That adds up to just 83p spent for every person affected Deafness and hearing loss (who.int)

The Impact

Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment (healthline.com) Deafness and hearing loss (who.int) Deafness and hearing loss (who.int) The WHO estimates that, currently, more than 5% of the world’s population (approximately 430 million people) has disabling hearing loss1 In the US, approximately 65 million people are affected by hearing loss; in Europe it is about 34 million2 There is no approved pharmacological treatment for sensorineural hearing loss despite causing 90% of hearing loss in adults3 Wu et al 2019 Degeneration of the auditory neurons underpins age-related hearing loss as degeneration of auditory neurons cells has been shown to occur 2.6x faster than auditory hair cells4 5% of those with mild-moderate hearing loss have Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum disorder (ANSD), where auditory hair cells function but the neurons do not5 We estimate some 2.3m people with presbycusis and 13.5m people with ANSD could benefit from our lead therapy Rincell-16 Kim et al 2023 Stevens at al 2011 By 2050 nearly 2.5bn people are projected to have some degree of hearing loss7 In 2018, less than 1% of the total public and charity investment in medical research was spent on hearing research. That adds up to just 83p spent for every person affected Deafness and hearing loss (who.int)