Speaker
Description
Timelines from first idea to reimbursed product / therapy / indication, during which translational research from bench to bedside has to be performed, are typically long in the field of sensorineural active implants. The most widespread of these implants is the Cochlear Implant (CI) which restores hearing in deaf people of all ages through electrical stimulation of the auditory nerve. Translational research has resulted in 4 newer categories of the CI in addition to the classic CI for the completely deaf: the Combined CI (electric and acoustic stimulation, electric and mechanical stimulation or vestibular and electric stimulation), the Individualized CI (based on preoperative imaging, anatomical, audiometric, electrophysiological and other evaluations the best suited electrode and surgical approach are selected), the augmented CI (a CI that can elute dexamethasone and other substances from the electrode into the cochlea) and the fully implantable CI, for which a human pilot study is ongoing. All of the above implant systems have high degrees of conditional MRI-safety by now. They also provide connectivity and wireless audio streaming possibilities. Based on the technology of our CI other sensorineural implant systems are being developed for a variety of conditions that limit quality of life.
