SBIR-STTR Award

Neural prosthetic devices are artificial extensions to the body that restore or supplement nervous system function that was lost during disease or injury. Particular success has been realized in the cochlear prostheses development. In contemporary cochlear implants, however, the injected electric current is spread widely along the scala tympani and across turns limiting the number of effective hearing channels. In this Phase 1, we propose an innovative optical cochlear stimulator (OCS) that can increase the number of channels which will ultimately improve the fidelity and research tools of cochlear implants. The first aim is Aculight will develop an optical cochlear stimulator based on previous models and experiments Northwestern University has completed. The methods for the first aim will use Aculight's previous experience with optical nerve stimulators in order to update the electrical and optical designs for use in cochlear implant research. The second aim, Northwestern will test and determine optimal parameters for development of an implantable optical cochlear stimulator. The methods for the second aim will use gerbils to determine the effectiveness and optimize the parameters of the OCS. The outcome of this grant will be a prototype OCS and optimal cochlear implant design parameters that can be implanted in an animal model in the Phase 2 project. This project is intended to benefit those that have lost hearing through disease or injury by developing a tool for research in cochlear implants as well as developing an improved cochlear implant. This research will focus on enhancing the performance of the cochlear implant to allow people to hear speech in a crowded room and even to hear music

Neural prosthetic devices are artificial extensions to the body that restore or supplement nervous system function that was lost during disease or injury. Particular success has been realized in the cochlear prostheses development. In contemporary cochlear implants, however, the injected electric current is spread widely along the scala tympani and across turns limiting the number of effective hearing channels. In the Phase 1, we developed a research cochlear infrared nerve stimulator and identified the need for a small pulse width laser pulses when stimulating nerves within the cochlea. In this Phase 2, we propose to develop a compact diode driver and implantable single channel cochlear stimulator. Identification of the optimal fiber placement and chronic studies of implanting the cochlear stimulator in an animal model will also be conducted. The outcome of this grant will be to identify the optimal stimulation parameters and implantable design for future clinical trials after the Phase 2. This project is intended to benefit those that have lost hearing through disease or injury by developing a tool for research in cochlear implants as well as developing an improved cochlear implant. This research will focus on enhancing the performance of the cochlear implant to allow people to hear speech in a crowded room

Project Terms:
Acoustic; Acoustic Nerve; Acoustics; Action Potentials; Animal Model; Animal Models and Related Studies; Animals; Auditory; Auditory Brainstem Responses; Auditory Prosthesis; Auditory system; Behavior; Bionic; Bionics; Body Tissues; Bone; Bone and Bones; Bones and Bone Tissue; Bypass; Cats; Cavia; Chronic; Clinical; Clinical Trials; Clinical Trials, Phase II; Clinical Trials, Unspecified; Cochlea; Cochlear Implants; Cochlear Nerve; Cochlear Organ; Cochlear Prosthesis; Cochlear Root of Acoustic Nerve; Cochlear Root of Eighth Cranial Nerve; Cochlear structure; Collaborations; Columella; Corti Cell; Cranial Nerve Eight; Cranial Nerve VIII; Crowding; Deposit; Deposition; Development; Devices; Disease; Disorder; Domestic Cats; Ear; Ear structure; Effectiveness; Eighth Cranial Nerve; Electric Stimulation; Electrical Stimulation; Electrodes; Electromagnetic, Laser; Feline Species; Felis catus; Felis domestica; Felis domesticus; Felis sylvestris catus; Fiber; Fiber Optics; Frequencies (time pattern); Frequency; Funding; Future; Ganglion of Corti; Gerbils; Grant; Guinea Pigs; Hair Cells; Hearing; Housing; Human; Human, General; Implant; Implanted Electrodes; Inferior Colliculus; Injury; Laboratories; Lasers; Length; Light; Mammals, Cats; Mammals, Guinea Pigs; Man (Taxonomy); Man, Modern; Maps; Measurement; Measures; Methods; Modiolus; Morphology; NIH; National Institutes of Health; National Institutes of Health (U.S.); Nerve; Nerve Cells; Nerve Unit; Nervous; Nervous System Physiology; Neural Cell; Neurocyte; Neurologic function; Neurological function; Neurons; Optics; Outcome; Performance; Persons; Phase; Phase 2 Clinical Trials; Phase II Clinical Trials; Photoradiation; Physiologic pulse; Population; Posterior Quadrigeminal Body; Programs (PT); Programs [Publication Type]; Progress Reports; Prosthesis; Prosthetic device; Prosthetics; Pulse; Radiation; Radiation, Laser; Research; Research Specimen; Resolution; Risk; Round Window; Safety; Scala Tympani; Scanning; Side; Specimen; Speech; Spiral Ganglion; Stimulus; Structure; Structure of cochlear window; Structure of spiral ganglion; System; System, LOINC Axis 4; Testing; Thick; Thickness; Time; Tissues; Tympanus, Scala; United States National Institutes of Health; Universities; VIIIth Cranial Nerve; Vestibulocochlear Nerve; Width; auditory nerve; biomedical implant; bone; clinical investigation; design; designing; disease/disorder; ear hair cell; fenestra cochleae; gangliocyte; ganglion cell; hearing perception; implant device; implantable device; improved; indwelling device; innovate; innovation; innovative; model organism; nervous system function; neural; neural prosthesis; neural prosthetic; neural stimulation; neuronal; novel; optical fiber; phase 2 study; phase 2 trial; phase II trial; programs; protocol, phase II; prototype; ray (radiation); relating to nervous system; response; sound perception; study, phase II; success; tool