Research Updates

The CHDR staff is actively involved in cutting-edge research aimed at taking cochlear implantation to the next higher level.

At present, cochlear implants offer truly remarkable results in terms of hearing restoration. However, the existing technology is significantly dependent upon miniaturized computer-processing equipment that is surgically implanted through a moderately invasive approach. A significant social and economic consideration is also the typical costs involved in the equipment, surgical procedure, hospitalization, and postoperative rehabilitation therapies.

Our goal is to establish novel cochlear implant materials that:

Do not require such "hardware-dependent" components (in order to eliminate the possibility of device mechanical failure and reduce the invasiveness of the surgical implantation)
Dramatically reduce the cost of the implant to make cochlear implantation more accessible to the large number of patients that are candidates for cochlear implantation.

Investigators are examining novel synthetic polymers that have the intrinsic property of converting sound energy into electrical impulses. Such functions are the basis for existing cochlear implants. By taking in sound and speech, current implants digitally convert the incoming sound into electrical impulses that are then delivered directly to the hearing nerve by the implanted electrode array. This amazing technology, however, requires an implanted electrode array and internal processor, along with an external coil that magnetically interacts with the internal components, and finally, the external speech processor that is worn by the patient. The existing technologies also require battery power sources in the external speech processor that need to be changed or recharged on a regular basis.

Novel implant materials being researched at CHDR would not require multiple components, a power source, or as invasive an implantation procedure. By taking advantage of the intrinsic ability of the new materials to take sound energy and convert it into electrical impulses that the hearing centers of the brain can interpret as sound and speech, it may be possible to eliminate the significant hardware components associated with cochlear implants, reduce the extent and risks of surgery associated with implants and also make it more universally accessible to patients with unaidable hearing.