Hearing Loss Affects 500 Million People. How can we fix this? ft. Dr P. Ashley Wackym скачать в хорошем качестве

Hearing Loss Affects 500 Million People. How can we fix this? ft. Dr P. Ashley Wackym

Hearing loss affects over 500 million people worldwide, yet no FDA-approved treatments exist. Dr. Phillip Ashley Wackym, Chair of Otolaryngology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, is changing that. His research targets one of the most widespread health challenges: hearing loss, which affects over 500 million people worldwide, most often caused by acoustic trauma, chemotherapy, or antibiotics. Currently, there are no FDA-approved treatments for these conditions. Dr. Wackym’s team is developing an innovative therapy that harnesses the body’s natural defense system against oxidative stress. Specifically, their approach boosts the activity of superoxide dismutase (an enzyme that neutralizes damaging reactive oxygen species) to protect and repair the delicate hair cells of the inner ear, which are essential for hearing. Unlike invasive gene therapies, his team’s breakthrough delivers treatment through spinal fluid, safely reaching both ears at once. Scalable, effective, and accessible, this innovation has the potential to improve hundreds of millions of lives impacted by hearing loss. ‪@RWJMS‬ ‪@RutgersU‬ ---- The New Jersey Discovery Showcase hosted by The HELIX and the New Brunswick Development Corporation (DEVCO) is a fast-paced, full-day event that showcases research and discovery (R&D) work from pioneering entities across New Jersey. The event explores groundbreaking scientific advancements and fosters collaboration across the innovation community of New Jersey and the broader region. --- P. Ashley Wackym is a seasoned administrator, investigator and surgical otologist-neurotologist and skull base surgeon. He is currently the Chair of Department of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Science at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, a senior Member of the Rutgers Brain Health Institute and a Chancellor Scholar of Rutgers Health. After completing his medical education at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, residency training at the UCLA School of Medicine and his otology and neurotologic skull base surgery fellowship at the University of Iowa, he served on the faculties of the UCLA School of Medicine, the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and the Medical College of Wisconsin where he served as the Chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences for over a decade. Prior to his relocation to the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in 2016 his two decades of service in academic healthcare was complemented by serving for seven years in corporate healthcare as the Vice President of Research for Legacy Health, the largest healthcare system in Oregon and Washington, and by directing the Legacy Research Institute in Portland, Oregon. Dr. Wackym’s clinical emphasis is on cochlear implantation and skull base surgery as well as other hearing and balance disorders. He is particularly well known for the surgical management of patients with superior semicircular canal dehiscence and other third window syndrome disorders. Among his 18 national and international awards include the Nicholas Torok Vestibular Award of the American Neurotology Society, the Edmund Prince Fowler Award and a Presidential Citation from the American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, and the Honor Award and Distinguished Service Award of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. His basic research was funded by the National Institutes of Health for over two decades in the area of gene discovery in the inner ear. Currently his research is focused on: cognitive dysfunction before and after surgical management of third window syndrome; cochlear implantation; outcomes of Gamma Knife surgery; balance disorders and the development of new biomedical engineering technologies – the NIH recently funded one of these. He has published over 170 papers, 60 book chapters, 20 video productions and edited three books, including the 18th edition of Ballenger’s Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, which is over 1,400 pages and two volumes.