New System To Treat Middle Ear Problems

Main Category: Ear, Nose and Throat
Article Date: 01 Aug 2005 - 0:00 PDT

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Researchers at the University of Dundee (Scotland) have developed new technology which could revolutionise the treatment of middle ear problems.

A team led by Professor Eric Abel have created the SMARTFIT system, a radically new approach to the design of ossicular replacement prostheses (the tiny bones in the ear), which aims to be the first commercial product to give a genuine replication of the physiological function of the middle ear.

"Hearing loss affects a large number of people and we are very optimistic that our new concept in prosthesis design will prove to be a technical and clinical success," said Professor Abel, Professor of Biomedical Engineering & Head of the Division of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics at the University.

"Most importantly, we hope that it will lead to an significant improvement in hearing for the large numbers of people who have conductive hearing loss."

The technology is still be further developed and this will be carried out through commercial enterprise, either a new spinout company or through licensing agreement.

Commercialisation of the research has already received financial support from the Scottish Enterprise Proof of Concept programme.

"I and my colleague Dr Robert Mills are delighted to have received this Proof of Concept award from Scottish Enterprise," said Prof Abel.

The SMARTFIT technology has the potential to create safer and more effective artificial `bone' implants for the middle ear to restore hearing for people affected by Conductive Hearing Loss. SMARTFIT could greatly increase the number of restorative operations carried out for a condition which currently affects around eight million people in the western world.

Successful demonstration of the system could make a major impact on the Euro170 million market in ossicular prostheses. It would also boost Scotland's standing in the valuable medical device sector, which has a global worth of over Euro75 billion.

The development of SMARTFIT, together with another spinout company already being established in Dundee to commercialise another hearing implant previously developed under an earlier Proof Of Concept-funded project, may lead to the creation of new jobs in Dundee and investment in a developing platform of advanced medical devices and smart materials technology.

The University has established a strong track record in commercial spin-outs of academic research. Recently four companies which have emerged from the University's research base - Whole Life Consultants Ltd, Aktina Ltd, Lumenus Ltd and Calico Jack Ltd - were all honoured at the Scottish Executive's SMART 2004 Awards, giving Dundee an unrivalled presence in the Science sector of the awards.

About The Proof of Concept Programme

The Proof of Concept Programme supports leading-edge technologies in Scotland's academic institutions, and aims to help export innovation from the lab into the global marketplace.

The £49million Programme launched in 1999 now supports 172 ground-breaking projects worth £28.1 million and has created 400 new jobs. It concentrates on early-stage ideas which have typically reached patent level and could lead to the creation of new businesses, or licensing innovative technologies. Successful bidders must demonstrate that their ideas have originality and true commercial potential.

The projects supported via the Programme are high risk and will generally take several years to become commercially viable investments.

The objectives of the Programme are:

• To improve the level and quality of commercialisation through the provision of funding for early stage development activity within Scotland's universities, research institutes and NHS Boards.

• To contribute to the development of Scotland's clusters by f acilitating the exploitation of enabling technologies from within the fundamental and strategic research base.

• To contribute to the longer-term development of a strong, knowledge-based economy in Scotland.

Further details on the Proof of Concept Programme, the projects that are currently supported and the application process can be found at: http://www.scottish-enterprise.com/proofofconcept

About Scottish Enterprise

Scottish Enterprise is the main economic development agency for Scotland covering 93% of the population from Grampian to the Borders. The Scottish Enterprise Network consists of Scottish Enterprise and 12 Local Enterprise Companies. Working in partnership with the private and public sectors the Network aims to build more and better businesses, to develop the skills and knowledge of Scottish people, and to encourage innovation to make Scottish business internationally competitive.

A cluster is a group of related industries and organisations. They can be each other's customers, competitors, partners, suppliers or research and development sources. Partners in a cluster continue to compete, but they also begin to share the benefits of innovative ideas and practices that each contributes. This makes them more competitive. An example of a successful cluster is the Biotechnology industry in Dundee. The cluster approach in Scotland, pioneered by Scottish Enterprise, aims to ensure that Scotland's small, open economy thrives in an increasingly competitive global economy.

Reference URL
dundee.ac.uk/pressreleases/prjuly04/ears.html

SOURCE: http://www.alphagalileo.org

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