Amy Worrall
School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering
Predicting pathology : progress towards using SIFT-MS to facilitate early intervention for age related hearing loss
Age related hearing loss ( ARHL ) affects the majority of those over 65 years old , with available treatments unable to repair dysfunction or offer continued improvement as the illness progresses . However , research suggests that where damage to cochlear fibrocytes is the leading pathology ( metabolic ARHL ), biological interventions are possible . As this often precedes symptomatic hearing loss , it is feasible that detection and repair of such damage may allow ARHL to be prevented before sensory cells are damaged and patients lose hearing . To facilitate this , a noninvasive early detection strategy is required to enable timely intervention . Employing selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry ( SIFT-MS ), this research aims to identify cochlear fibrocyte death non-invasively and facilitate a real-time , pre-emptive detection method for ARHL . Results to date demonstrate the ability to distinguish healthy fibrocytes , and show promise when moving towards the next stage of research- damage detection . An ear wax profile has also been established , laying ground work for the detection of cellular variations via this source . Overall , results suggest excellent progress towards use of ear wax samples in ascertaining the health of fibrocytes , and may pave the way for a new diagnostic tool in which hearing loss may be diagnosed before symptoms occur .
Postgraduate Conference 2021 Page 45