8March2017

What major players in the hearing

sector say about ACCC report
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said
hearing clinics should review their incentive programs and
performance measures to ensure that they do not create a
conflict between healthcare advice and sales.

Iron deficiency anemia may be

linked to hearing loss
Its a common condition that is caused by a lack of iron in the
body, leading to a reduced number of red blood cells. These
cells ferry oxygen around the body. Blood supply to the inner
ear is highly sensitive to damage caused by reduced blood
flow.

Mnires disease
At 15, Elizabeth Bova, worn down by violent dizzy attacks and
Report: Issues around the
ringing ears, asked her neurologist to destroy a critical part of
sale of hearing aids
her inner ear in the hope of regaining some semblance of
peace. Since her first year in high school, the Sydney teen
had been struggling with Mnires disease, an incurable
condition that disturbs the hearing and balance regulators.

International Womens Day

https://www.internationalwomensday.com/

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land, community, sea, and waters where we live and work. We pay our respects to
elderspast,presentandfutureandvaluethecontributionsIndigenousAustraliansmakeinoursociety.Weacknowledgethechallengefor
IndigenousleadersandfamiliestoovercometheunacceptablyhighlevelsofearhealthissuesamongfirstAustralians.
Consumer watchdog investigates sale of hearing aids
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) released a report last week on
'Issues around the sale of hearing aids'.

The ACCC has recommended that hearing clinics review their incentive programs and performance
measures to ensure that they do not create a conflict between healthcare advice and sales. The
report contained alarming examples of the high prices paid by hearing impaired people for devices
that did not provide the benefits expected.

Some hearing clinics encourage clinicians to sell more expensive hearing aids by setting sales
targets, paying commissions to clinicians, having arrangements that favour certain brands or are
owned by companies that manufacture hearing aids. Commission-based selling can provide
incentives to clinicians to supply hearing aids that are unnecessary or more expensive than a
consumer needs. This has the potential to lead to consumer harm where trusted advice is being
given to patients, many of whom may be vulnerable or disadvantaged, ACCC Commissioner
Sarah Court said.

Hearing clinics should be conscious of the incentives they offer and consider remuneration
structures that reward service and quality advice ahead of sales.

Deafness Forum of Australia said that the ACCC report highlights a lack of transparency that puts
the consumer at risk at a time when they are most vulnerable.

The practice of upselling, commissions and bundling the cost of a device with followup
rehabilitation service is an area of risk for consumers who may have no objective way of knowing
whether the device recommended by an audiologist is best suited for their individual needs, said
Deafness Forum chairperson David Brady.

"The arrangement where a hearing care professional receives a financial payment for promoting a
particular product brings in a level of uncertainty to a relationship that needs to be built on trust.

Consumers do not want the advice they receive to be any way influenced, or compromised by the
payment of a financial incentive to the clinician.

While acknowledging that not all hearing clinics have this practice, Deafness Forum believes that
audiologists would prefer to be rewarded for their expertise and the results they achieve for their
clients.

We support the recommendations of the ACCC and would like to work with the hearing industry
to help it develop alternative remuneration structures that reward quality and outcomes over
sales," Mr Brady said.
Issues relating to the sale of hearing aids in the context of NDIS
Deafness Forum of Australia understands that the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
allows participants to make a co-contribution to obtain higher level technology. If that is the case,
then there is a risk that NDIS clients may be exposed to practices where they are persuaded to
buy high cost devices without realising that the recommendation is not so much related to benefit
for the client, but more for the benefit of the clinician who is receiving a commission for selling
these products.

It is critical that NDIS participants are able to trust the advice of their hearing care practitioner.
These clients are not likely to consider that the advice that they are receiving may be influenced
by external factors such as incentives and commissions.

It would be ideal if the NDIS did not allow hearing services providers to pay a proportion of the
sale price to their staff in cases where clients make a co-payment. If that is not possible then
other protections need to be considered so that the most vulnerable client groups are not exposed
to inappropriate sales tactics.

Access the full report by Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and a
guide for consumers. Download from the Deafness Forum website at
www.deafnessforum.org.au

How did major players in the hearing sector react to the ACCC report?
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said hearing clinics should review their
incentive programs and performance measures to ensure that they do not create a conflict
between healthcare advice and sales.

Audiology Australia
Audiology Australia is the peak body representing more than 2,000 audiologists. It supports
audiologists to offer the optimum care to the Australian public by awarding the Certificate of
Clinical Practice.

Audiology Australia takes the ACCCs claims that employment conditions may be
encouraging clinicians at hearing aid clinics to supply hearing aids that are
unnecessary or more expensive than a consumer needs very seriously. We
encourage any member of the public who has concerns regarding the clinical services
provided by an audiologist to contact Audiology Australia.

If the clinician is a member of Audiology Australia, anybody with concerns regarding

the clinicians conduct can lodge a formal complaint regarding a potential breach of
 our Code of Conduct. If the clinician is not a member of Audiology Australia, we can
help them to find another organisation or body that can help them.

Audiology Australia is responsible for ensuring the standard of clinical services its
individual members provide. Audiology Australia is not responsible for the regulation
of businesses. Based on our membership statistics, over 90 % of our members are
employed by an organisation which they do not own. The majority of Audiology
Australia members remuneration models are therefore largely out of their own
personal control.

Audiology Australia has been included in consultations between peak industry

groups, the Australia Governments Office of Hearing Services and the Australian
Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care regarding the implementation of a
Service Delivery Framework which would include standards hearing aid clinics must
adhere to. If implemented, Audiology Australia believes the Service Delivery
Framework will provide further assurances to the public regarding the safety and
quality of services provided by hearing aid clinics.

Audiology Australia urges any person who has concerns about their hearing to seek
audiological services from one of our clinically certified members.

Source: media statement 2 Mar 2017

Australian College of Audiology

The aim of Australian College of Audiology is to promote and develop the science and practice of
hearing care through the education and support of its members. Members are professional
practitioners who provide hearing care and are located throughout Australia.
Australian College of Audiology was invited to comment.

Australian Hearing
Australian Hearing is the nations leading hearing specialist and largest provider of Government
funded hearing services. It is a statutory authority constituted under the Australian Hearing
Services Act 1991, reporting to the Minister for Human Services, and is within the Human Services
portfolio.

The sale of higher level technology represented a very small proportion of the total
devices fitted. The payment of financial incentives did not apply to the sale of higher
level technology to clients seen under the Community Service Obligations Program.

The use of financial incentives was introduced at the start of the Voucher Program
and was used to help change the behaviour of clinicians who were not familiar with
the practice of offering clients an option to purchase higher level technology.
 Voucher Program clients are advised that the clinician will receive a financial
reward as a result of the client purchasing a device. The information is also on the
Australian Hearing website.

A refund period applies when Voucher clients purchase a device so they can
return it if they are not happy with the device. The financial incentive is not paid to
the clinician until the client signs off that they are happy to keep the device.

Sourced from evidence given to the Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and
Sport inquiry into The Hearing Health and Wellbeing of Australia, 3 Mar 2017.

Hearing Business Alliance

Hearing Business Alliance is a new industry body which was formed to represent independent
hearing care businesses in Australia. It represents, promotes and supports individual hearing care
businesses to all stakeholders, including consumers, government, and non-government agencies.
View board members at https://www.hearbusiness.com.au/about-us

Hearing Business Alliance (HBA) applauds the release of the Australian Competition
and Consumer Commission (ACCC) report regarding unethical practices in the fitting
of hearing aids.

The report has highlighted some major concerns that are shared by HBA including
the imposition of undisclosed sales commissions and pressure applied to Audiologists
and Audiometrists to meet sales targets. HBA believes that in an industry driven by a
small number of large hearing chains, it is clear to all parties that self-regulation has
failed the general public.

Seven hearing chains, which includes the government owned Australian Hearing,
are responsible for approximately 85% of the hearing aid fittings in our market.
(There are over 300 hearing providers in Australia.) It is the position of HBA that the
professional bodies, which have worked hard to establish a Code of Conduct and a
Code of Ethics for clinicians to adhere to, are nonetheless powerless to enforce these
ethical standards onto business owners.

The current vacuum that exists within the business ethics space needs to be
addressed and it is this area that HBA is endeavouring to establish an environment,
which looks after the legitimate concerns of all stakeholders, including the public,
business owners and the Government.

Source: public statement 2 Mar 2017

Hearing Care Industry Association
Hearing Care Industry Association (HCIA) represents hearing healthcare providers in Australia. Its
members fit around 60% of the hearing devices used in Australia. View its members at
http://hcia.com.au/member_organisations.html

HCIA acknowledges the ACCC report released yesterday concerning the provision of
hearing health services. Our members take the matters discussed in the report very
seriously and are committed to ensuring hearing impaired Australians receive the
very best possible care. The industry has a very high satisfaction rate and receives
only a very small number of complaints. Notwithstanding this, HCIA is currently
investigating the specific details and examples provided in the report and is
committed to working with the ACCC to ensure that industry regulations and
standards are appropriate. While we have robust frameworks in place for our health
professionals to ensure they provide the most appropriate care for each individuals
needs, and we constantly strive to improve the service and care we offer to
Australians living with hearing loss, we welcome the opportunity to address any
matters of concern and to work closely with the ACCC.

Independent Audiologists Australia

Independent Audiologists Australia promotes and support clinical practices owned by audiologists.
Members hold specialised university qualifications in audiology and adopt quality clinical and
ethical standards.

Profiteering from the sale of hearing aids is interwoven with healthcare in the
audiology field. Regulation of audiology and audiometry ought to be overseen by the
authority appointed by government to safeguard the public in the sphere of health.
Predatory hearing aid sales tactics currently take place under the watch of self-
regulation by professional bodies; regulation of unregistered healthcare practitioners
in several states and in spite of existing consumer laws. Audiology and audiometry
need to be registered under the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Authority in
order to force the culture of hearing services to change from sales to clinical service
delivery.

Second opinions, recommended by the ACCC are not covered by the Office of
Hearing Services (OHS) and so will either be out of pocket expenses or will be
offered for free. The provision of free services is a significant factor driving up
the cost of hearing devices as costs must be recovered through device sales. All
services to OHS voucher holders should be funded, whether first or subsequent
opinions, hearing aid fittings, counselling or follow up appointments. Transparent,
unbundled billing is needed so that the fee paying public can meaningfully compare
recommendations. Online device prices will always seem much cheaper than
bundled (service and device) fees. All invoicing and quotations must be transparent
in order for the public to make informed decisions.
From Deafness Forums Facebook page
I have gone 6 months without aids after both of mine failed. This has severely
impacted on my work, family and social life. I simply cannot afford new ones at the
prices quoted. I can get exact same aids at a third of the price from ebay.

Hearing health should be free for all Australians. I'm 80% deaf , but only get help thru
a health fund that I pay thru the roof for , if I was single and relied on the govt I would
get them free !? Absolutely ridiculous !!

A major reason why I recently discontinued my health insurance cover. For a new pair
of HA's 3 years ago I paid $11,000 and my claim rebate was a paltry $800 ! While my
cover was very basic due to affordability, look at what cover any of the health insurers
offer on any of their plans. From what I could glean, maximum rebate was something
like $1,800.....pathetic ! I am beyond 65 now so NDIS assistance not an option. I am
hoping that in 2 yrs time I will qualify for pensioner assistance. My outlay of $11K for
my current aids included a 3 yr after sale "care" package (including battery supplies).
However, on doing an online search recently to ascertain the best price offered for the
exact same hearing aids, I was somewhat astonished to learn that I could buy a new
pair online for a little over $6K, so nearly $5K less than what I paid my hearing clinic.
Go figure !!

I already know of whole families going broke because they get over priced hearing aids
which they are told will help them in the long run but they cannot after 3 to 6 months
later they cant get back up to fix the problem which they were told will help them I
myself have been through this for over 50 years.

Hearing aids buying guide

From consumer advocacy group, CHOICE
Shop around
With hearing aids, it certainly pays to shop around. We found an inner-Sydney clinic charging
$14,000 for a pair of top-of-the-range Siemens hearing aids, including fitting and service,
compared with $11,000 by a clinic in western Sydney. For the same devices without any service,
another Sydney clinic charged $7400, while we found an online UK retailer charging about $4900
and a US online retailer selling them through eBay for $3340.

Are top-end aids worth it?

The main difference between top-end aids and more basic ones is better performance in noisy
situations. If you need to attend meetings at work or have a very active lifestyle, or if you're
looking for extra features such as Bluetooth and better noise reduction, medium- to top-end
hearing aids are usually the best choice. Whatever your needs, be wary of retailers exaggerating
those needs.
Health insurance
If you have extras cover as part of your health insurance, you may be entitled to a benefit for
hearing aids. However, we found the benefits are nowhere close to the cost, nor do they apply if
you buy from overseas. Benefits ranged from $200 to $1600, with the average being only about
$700. For most respondents to a CHOICE survey who had extras cover, the benefit only covered
only about 25% or less of the cost.

Find the best policies for you with our extras health insurance reviews at
https://www.choice.com.au/money/insurance/health/review-and-compare/extras-insurance

Tax benefits
You may be eligible the Australian government's medical expenses offset. In the l financial year,
this was a 20% tax offset for annual medical expenses above $2120 (or $5000 if you earn more
than $84,000 as a single or $168,000 as a couple or family).

Buying hearing aids from overseas

CHOICE member Matthew B from Perth was quoted $12,000 for a pair of top-end Oticon hearing
aids by his local clinic. After some ringing around he found another local clinic offering them for
$9000. He ended up buying online from a UK retailer for about $4250.

According to Clinical Audiologist Dr Rodney Glance, "There are many reasons hearing aids are
more expensive in Australia than overseas. Our wholesale prices often exceed what the devices
are sold for in the USA or other countries.

"Bear in mind also that almost all clients have bundled services, which means that they may be
seen numerous times for no charge apart from their initial purchase."

In Matthew's case, the UK retailer programmed the hearing aids according to his audiogram, and
he's been very happy with them. After some searching, Matthew found some local clinics that
agreed to help him with servicing his aids for $100-200 per appointment, though he hasn't needed
their services so far.

If you're thinking of buying your hearing aids overseas via the internet, check with the local
manufacturer if they'll accept the international warranty - you normally only get a one-year
international warranty, as opposed to three if you buy in Australia. In Matthew's case, Oticon
agreed to accept the international warranty. Another large manufacturer, Siemens, told us they'd
do the same.

More at https://www.choice.com.au/health-and-body/optical-and-hearing/hearing/buying-guides/hearing-aids
Break the Sound Barrier is the name of the campaign that aims to put
Hearing Health and Wellbeing on the national agenda.

One in six Australians has a hearing health and well-being issue. People with a hearing
loss or who communicate in Auslan are not recognised within the public consciousness as having a
serious disability that impacts on almost every aspect of a persons life. We need you to share our
campaign with your friends, colleagues and family members to encourage them to sign up.

With millions of Australians affected, hearing health and well being deserves to be a national
health priority. This will unlock more funding for services, more investment in research and better
community education. www.breakthesoundbarrier.org.au




Please join us on

Sunday 12th March

for the official launch of our biography of Professor Bill Gibson

Special Guests
Prof Bill Gibson &
Jim Patrick, Chief Scientist Emeritus, Cochlear Ltd

The Launch will be held at

SCIC, Old Gladesville Hospital, Punt Road,
Gladesville 11am to 3pm

The official proceedings will be followed by a light luncheon.

Attendance is free, donations appreciated.

The book will be on sale at the Special Earlybird price of$25 . There will
be a limited number of copies available at this price
For further information contact : suewalters@cicada.org.au

Anemia and hearing loss: is there a link?
An estimated 15 percent of adults in the United States are affected by some degree of hearing
loss. Up to two thirds of adults over 65, and 80 percent of those over 85, have reduced hearing.
In the U.S. population, hearing loss is linked to poorer health, high blood pressure, smoking,
diabetes, and hospitalisation.

Researchers led by Kathleen M. Schieffer, from

the Pennsylvania State University College of
Medicine, set out to investigate iron deficiency
anemias (IDA) relationship with hearing loss in
more detail. IDA is a common condition that is
caused by a lack of iron in the body, leading to a
reduced number of red blood cells. Because red
blood cells ferry oxygen around the body, IDA
reduces the amount of oxygen available to
tissues.

The team also gathered information regarding the patient's hearing. They looked separately at
conductive hearing loss - due to problems with the bones of the inner ear, or SNHL - damage to
the cochlea or nerve pathways passing from the inner ear to the brain, deafness, and unspecified
hearing loss. The authors conclude:

"An association exists between IDA in adults and hearing loss. The next steps are to better
understand this correlation and whether promptly diagnosing and treating IDA may positively
affect the overall health status of adults with hearing loss."

Why IDA might be linked to hearing loss is not yet fully understood, but there are a few potential
pathways. For instance, blood supply to the inner ear via the labyrinthine artery is highly sensitive
to ischemic damage (damage caused by reduced blood flow), which could certainly play a role.
Additionally, individuals with vascular disease are known to be more susceptible to sudden SNHL.
Blood supply is, therefore, clearly an important factor in hearing loss.

Another potential mechanism involves myelin, a waxy substance that coats nerves and which is
important for the efficient conduction of signals along nerve fibers. Reduced iron in the body
causes the breakdown of lipid saturase and desaturase, both of which are important in energy
production and, consequently, the production of myelin. If the myelin coating the auditory nerve
is damaged, hearing could be reduced.

Written by Tim Newman, Medical News Today, http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/315017.php

Mnires disease and hearing disorders
By Michele Tydd

Hearing impairment is underestimated and costly, but a new inquiry is set to amplify attention on
the problem.

At 15, schoolgirl Elizabeth Bova, worn down by violent dizzy attacks and ringing ears, asked her
neurologist to destroy a critical part of her inner ear in the hope of regaining some semblance of
peace. Since her first year in high school, the Sydney teen had been struggling with Mnires
disease, an incurable condition that disturbs the hearing and balance regulators.

"I was at a terrible low after a run of random dizzy and vomiting attacks, and the ringing in my
ears was driving me insane because you can never switch it off, says the now 27-year-old allied
health worker. I was so fed up I asked my doctor for the injection that kills off your vestibular,
but of course he refused because he knew it would have left me completely deaf in one ear.

When I was about 19, a bouncer at a bar I was at tried to throw me out because he saw me
staggering to the toilet to vomit during an attack and thought I was drunk.

Even a night out at a restaurant can be frustrating because salt can bring on an attack, but it is
so difficult to try to convey that message without sounding like a whinger, she says.

Bova, who contracted the disease at 12, is now among the estimated one in six Australians who
suffers from a hearing/balance disorder, a statistic that has prompted the federal government to
open a national inquiry into hearing health and wellbeing.

According to Whirled Foundation, formerly Menieres Australia, the hearing/balance impaired need
urgent help. And the foundation is just one of the many organisations and individuals
campaigning for government research funding.

Mnires disease alone affects about 50,000 people in Australia and strikes mainly those aged
over 40. Symptoms include random attacks of dizziness and vomiting, ringing in the ears
(tinnitus), uncontrollable eye movements and gradual loss of hearing that usually affects one ear.
Sufferers, some of whom avoid leaving the house for fear of a sudden attack, describe the
sensation as similar to having somebody spin you nonstop for two hours on a roundabout while
you are vomiting. That intensity tones down over the years but sufferers are usually left with
diminished hearing or deafness in the affected ear.

More at https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/2017/03/04/menieres-disease-and-hearing-
disorders/14885460004282

https://www.internationalwomensday.com/

Accessibility conference on loops, hearing technology

Berlin, Germany from October 6 to 8, 2017.

The Call for papers for the IFHOH International Accessibility Conference on Hearing loops and
Hearing Technology is now available. Please go to www.ifhoh.org or to
www.facebook.com/groups/IFHOH

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http://www.printacall.com.au/hearingloops/
National Disability Strategy: parliamentary inquiry
Its your chance to our political leaders about your experiences and views of the National Disability
Strategy and how it has, or has not helped to build inclusive and accessible communities.

This is a parliamentary inquiry that invites contributions from everyone. The deadline for making
a submission is 28 April 2017. A submission can be anything from a short letter, a video in Auslan
to a detailed written presentation.

You can comment on the following these are called the terms of reference for the inquiry.
A. The planning, design, management, and regulation of:
i. The built and natural environment, including commercial premises, housing, public spaces
and amenities.
ii. Transport services and infrastructure.
iii. Communication and information systems, including Australian electronic media and the
emerging Internet of things.
B. Potential barriers to progress or innovation and how these might be addressed.
C. The impact of restricted access for people with disability on inclusion and participation in
economic, cultural, social, civil and political life.
D. Any other related matters.

Find out more at

http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Community_Affairs/AccessibleCommunities

The National Disability Strategy 2010-2020 provides a ten-year national policy framework for
improving life for Australians with disability, their families and carers. It represents a commitment
by all levels of government, industry and the community to a unified, national approach to policy
and program development.
NDIS information in Auslan

Visit the NDIS website, https://www.ndis.gov.au/auslan

The CSO presents

Rediscovering Music 2017

A series of free concerts where you can
rediscover music with your hearing loss,
hearing aids and Cochlear implants.
Partners and friends welcome

Tuesday 7 March Tuesday 31 October

Celebrating Sound, a journey
through the ears
Featuring Rod Taylor (speaker)
and Steve Allen (guitar)
2.00pm
Grant Cameron Community Centre,
27 Mulley St Holder
5.30pm
Hellenic Club, Matilda St Phillip
String Instruments Through
the Ages; Baroque, Modern and
Electric Strings
2.00pm
Grant Cameron Community Centre,
27 Mulley St Holder
5.30pm
Hellenic Club, Matilda St Phillip

Tuesday 30 May RSVP to Kristen Sutcliffe

Discovering the Double Bass hearing@cso.org.au
T 0408 488 760
2.00pm
Grant Cameron Community Centre, All events free of charge
27 Mulley St Holder
5.30pm
Hellenic Club, Matilda St Phillip

Community & Thank you to

Regional Engagement Better Hearing Australia
Are faulty mitochondria to blame?
By Tim Newman, Medical News Today

No fewer than 95 genes have so far been implicated in hearing loss. A new study into
mitochondrial activity may open new and exciting avenues of research into potential gene
therapies.

Over the last few years, the role of genetics in hearing loss has been brought to centre stage.
State of the art genetic research steadily increases our understanding of how faulty genes can
induce deafness.

Recent research published in The American Journal of Pathology looks at the role of mitochondrial
dysfunction in a type of hereditary deafness that worsens over time and leads to profound hearing
loss. Lead investigator Gerald S. Shadel, PhD, and his team at the Departments of Pathology and
Genetics at Yale School of Medicine conducted research on a genetically modified strain of mice.

The mice were modified to overproduce a gene that codes for transcription factor B1,
mitochondrial (TFB1M). TFB1M plays an important role in mitochondrial gene expression and has
already been implicated in hereditary hearing loss.

These modified mice, known simply as Tg-mtTFB1 mice, have been shown to develop hearing loss
at a much swifter rate than their unmodified counterparts.

Shadel and his team investigated the hearing pathways of the Tg-mtTFB1 mice and found a
number of tell-tale modifications that seem to cause the inevitable worsening of the animal's
hearing. The team noticed specific changes in the auditory system, particularly in the spiral
ganglion nerves and the stria vascularis.

"We propose that the defects we observed in the stria, spiral ganglion neurons, and outer hair
cells conspire to produce the observed hearing loss profile in Tg-mtTFB1 mice."

The spiral ganglion nerves link the ear's sound translating device - the cochlea - to the central
nervous system via the auditory nerve. They have been described as the initial bridge between
the physical world of sound and perception of that sound.
The stria vascularis is an area that is thought to produce the fluid of the inner ear - the
endolymph. This fluid conducts sound information to receptor cells in the inner ear. These two
sections of the ear, if damaged, severely reduce the individual's ability to hear.

Shadel and his team have managed to tease apart a potential mechanism that mitochondria might
play in their premature demise. The researchers theorized that the break down of the spiral
ganglion nerves and the stria vascularis in Tg-mtTFB1 mice might be mediated by mitochondrial
reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS are natural byproducts of mitochondria's activity and appear
to stimulate the enzyme AMPK (an enzyme that modulates mitochondrial activity).

To investigate whether AMPK might truly be the villain, they dampened the activity of the enzyme.
They did this by breeding a new strain of Tg-mtTFB1 mice with a limited ability to produce
enzyme AMPK.

When comparing the hearing ability of the two Tg-mtTFB1 strains, they found that those with
minimal AMPK were indistinguishable from standard mice. In other words, if AMPK was taken out
of the equation, hearing was left wholly intact. Shadel says: "We conclude that reducing AMPK
signaling has no effect on normal hearing at the ages tested but rescues or delays premature
hearing loss in Tg-mtTFB1 mitochondrial deafness model mice. This opens the possibility for
intervention in humans based on inhibiting AMPK, which is already a drug target for several
diseases."

Although this study still leaves us a long walk from finally preventing hereditary hearing loss, it is
a welcome new arrow in the quiver. There are an ever growing number of potential genetic
targets to investigate, each with their own complex web of interaction.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/302180.php

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